Harry Potter and the Lord of the Night
by Opinionated Asmodeus
Summary: Whether it was a stroke of luck or pure coincidence that he had chosen to rest in a tree overlooking the front yard of Number Four of Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey was something that mattered little to him, though it would later be the subject of a vicious debate.
1. The Boy Who Lived

**Summary:** Whether it was a stroke of luck or pure coincidence that he had chosen to rest in a tree overlooking the front yard of Number Four of Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey was something that mattered little to him, though it would later be the subject of a vicious debate. What did matter was that the child had been left on the doorstep of Number Four with little more than a baby blanket and a letter on a night that promised rain. That mattered a lot, and it was unforgivable.

 **Disclaimer:** J.K. Rowling owns all of Harry Potter, its characters and most of the dialogue within this chapter. Kyrios, however, is all mine. I make no money off of Harry Potter.

The Boy Who Lived

Whether it was a stroke of luck or pure coincidence that he had chosen to rest in a tree overlooking the front yard of Number Four of Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey was something that mattered little to him, though it would later be the subject of a vicious debate. He had grown tired from his flight over the Atlantic Ocean and had decided a stopover in the South Eastern part of England would do him some good. Sure, there were better ways of traveling than in the form of a Large Flying Fox, but he preferred the freedom of spreading his wings, even if it shouldn't be possible for that particular breed of bat.

He wasn't just any old bat. No, he was Kyrios, a vampire. The strongest there was, known only to the various types of vampires that inhabited the world. Not even the magical folk knew of him, though there were likely myths and legends that had been crafted from the stories that had been passed down by word of mouth from his earlier years of his vampire life. Even the humans had some legends and myths that alluded to him, particularly in Greece, his birth land.

Hung upside down on one of the tree's thicker branches, he was about to go to sleep when something appeared out of nowhere in the near vicinity. His senses were excellent and a source of pride for him, and he tensed when this new presence began approaching his direction. Kyrios waited with bated breath, prepared to strike should this be an attempt on his life when a cat, and nothing more, walked into his field of vision.

He stared at the cat for a long moment, watching as it looked up at the street sign on the corner of the street some twenty feet away from the animal, and a bit more from him, to read the lettering on the sign that denoted the street as Privet Drive. That was a bit odd for a cat nowadays. Staring at the animal harder, he noticed that the air around it seemed to shimmer a little with something he hadn't come across in a very long time. _Magic._ The cat was one of those magical people able to take on the form of a singular animal.

From within the depths of Number Four came something of a slight ruckus, causing Kyrios' ears to twitch and his attention to go to the front door of the dwelling. The cat seemed to notice the ruckus as well and had jumped up onto the low brick wall that enclosed the front yard of Number Four. Both watched as the front door opened and a rather portly man with short, slicked down blonde hair and a mustache waddled out onto the stoop. He closed the door with a bit of a bang and walked over to the gate that let out onto the driveway where he got into his car, his great weight causing the vehicle to groan a bit and lean towards that side.

His gaze going back to the cat, he watched it as it watched the human start up the car and drive away from the home. How curious. Ignoring his primary reason for having landed in the tree, not that he truly needed to sleep to rest up from the start, he decided that watching the cat would prove much more interesting, as well as probably informative.

Eventually sometime after the portly man had left, a tall and rather thin woman with a child that oddly resembled a beach ball in size, left Number Four. The cat seemed to stiffen and must have been glaring at the two as the child screamed for sweets and kicked at his mother while they walked down the street. He felt a bit repulsed by the child's actions, but even more so towards the parents for allowing the child to act in such a way. The mother didn't even do anything to dissuade from the screaming and kicking, instead promising the very sweets the child was screaming for.

 _How abhorrent._ Kyrios thought as he let his attention return to the cat, who was watching the two until they disappeared. Once the cat could no longer see them it visibly relaxed but didn't seem intent on moving from the low wall. Was there some sort of business this magical had with the Number Four household?

Hours and hours would pass before he found out, the residents of Number Four all having returned, carried out the rest of their day and went to sleep. Precisely one hour after the three had gone to sleep another person appeared right at the corner of Privet Drive. He could see them quite clearly from his branch, and it was an old man dressed quite oddly in a long, flowing purple robe? Kyrios blinked at this, his head tilting slightly as he took in the pointed high-heeled boots that were peeking out from the hem of the robes, which were covered in silver stars. This magical human had a long white beard, a twice-crooked nose and he wore crescent moon shaped glasses. Behind those glasses were blue eyes that twinkled with a sort of wrongness to them.

The oddly dressed magical man fished around in his robes and after a moment or two he pulled out a cylindrical silver device that rather resembled a lighter. Instead of a flame appearing, each time the little device clicked one of the street lamps on Privet Drive went out and a small glowing orb was swallowed up by the device. One by one he put out the street lamps until there was but the light of the moon and the stars to hopefully guide their sight.

A glance at the cloudy sky overhead, that threatened to give way to rain later on in the evening, made it apparent that they would not be using moonlight or starlight to see. Instead, there came a thin sort of stick from the man's robes and the tip of it lit up as he approached Number Four. The man paused to stare at the cat before an amused smile graced his weathered features.

" _Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall_ ," the old man addressed the cat in a slightly amused tone.

The cat, McGonagall, gave the old man a baleful glare and leapt off of the low brick wall to the sidewalk. Mid leap the cat shifted into a stern looking woman dressed in green tartan robes. Her hair was still dark, though streaked with bits of gray, and pulled back into a rather severe bun. Minerva's lips pursed and became a thin line as she resumed her baleful glare. _"How did you know it was me?"_

" _My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."_ The man gave a more benign smile, though that too was setting off Kyrios' senses and instincts.

" _You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day,"_ McGonagall replied a bit tartly.

" _All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."_ Celebrating? What would they be celebrating? There were no holidays that he was aware of. Samhain had already passed. Maybe it had something to do with the magical humans only. McGonagall's reaction seemed to disagree though, for she sniffed angrily.

" _Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right."_ Her tone was impatient and her anger flaring. _"You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no—even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news."_ With this she jerked her head towards Number Four's darkened living room window. _"I heard it. Flocks of owls…shooting stars… Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent—I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."_

 _Muggles?_ That was a term he'd never come across before. With a glance at Number Four he figured that it meant that they were non magical, though it sounded kind of discriminatory, as well as highly derogatory. As for what all had been on the news, he had been so focused on the cat, on McGonagall, that he hadn't heard any of it. The non-magical humans hadn't been all too interesting to him.

" _You can't blame them,"_ the old man said in a gentle tone, as though he truly meant it. _"We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."_

Kyrios found himself blinking at that. He hadn't been in Great Britain for a long while, so he didn't understand what was going on. Maybe listening in further would help.

" _I know that."_ McGonagall was getting more irritable, her anger spiking. _"But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."_

Really now? He hadn't noticed any of that, and certainly none of that had occurred on this street. The only thing of interest had been McGonagall, and now this old man who he still had no name for.

McGonagall gave the old man a sharp glance at this point, as though she were hoping for him to have something to say on the matter, but he maintained his silence. _"A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really_ _ **has**_ _gone, Dumbledore?"_

That was quite an odd name, and even odder was the whole 'You-Know-Who' business. Kyrios certainly didn't know who and hoped that these magicals would reveal who 'You-Know-Who' was. It was also funny that McGonagall seemed to be fretting about the non-magicals finding out about them when he had by simply staying in this tree.

" _It certainly seems so."_ The man now named as Dumbledore said quite simply. _"We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"_

That was quite random. Even McGonagall seemed to share his sentiment, though hers might have been simply out of naïveté as she exclaimed, _"A_ _ **what**_ _?"_

" _A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."_ Dumbledore started fishing in his robes for a said lemon drop.

" _No, thank you."_ McGonagall's tone was icy, and it was obvious that she thought that now wasn't the time for a lemon drop. The discussion between the magicals had been rather important, or at least that was how it sounded. _"As I say, even if You-Know-Who_ _ **has**_ _gone—"_

" _My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense—for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name:_ _ **Voldemort**_ _."_ It was at the name, Voldemort, that McGonagall flinched, though Dumbledore, who was busy unsticking two of his precious lemon drops he had fished out of his robes, seemed not to notice her reaction. _"It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."_

Voldemort sounded like a French name. Translating it into English gave him the meaning of 'flight from death' which truly made this Voldemort seem like a coward. It couldn't have been his proper name, but it was something to now identify him with. Given that he seemed to be a local magical problem, Kyrios was certain that he had never heard of him at all.

" _I know you haven't."_ McGonagall sounded as though she were torn between two different emotions, exasperation and admiration. _"But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know-oh, all right,_ _ **Voldemort**_ _, was frightened of."_

Kyrios blinked a bit at that then proceeded to stare harder at this Dumbledore fellow, wondering just how a rather old looking man provoked such a strong fear in someone who seemed to be quite feared himself. He certainly didn't see it, though something was very off with the old man, and it wasn't provoking fear in the bat-formed vampire. Instead, it was giving him the urge to attack.

" _You flatter me."_ Dumbledore said that way too calmly for Kyrios to like. _"Voldemort had powers I will never have."_ That sounded like a lie.

McGonagall seemed to buy the lie, however. _"Only because you're too—well—_ _ **noble**_ _to use them."_

" _It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."_ Dumbledore wasn't blushing, not a tiny bit. Instead, he seemed rather pleased with himself that the Professor seemed to think so highly of him.

McGonagall's gaze sharpened as she stared at Dumbledore, though she couldn't see the lack of a blush in the darkness. _"The owls are nothing next to the_ _ **rumors**_ _that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"_

Holy hell, this woman had a lot of questions. Questions that he also wanted answers to. Kyrios shifted slightly on the branch he was hanging from, growing restless as the conversation carried on. Dumbledore studiously ignored McGonagall as he unstuck yet another lemon drop, which was starting to irritate him quite a bit too.

" _What they're_ _ **saying**_ _," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are—are—that they're—_ _ **dead**_ _."_

Dumbledore lowered his head, drawing a gasp from the Professor, followed by a sob.

" _Lily and James…I can't believe it…I didn't want to believe it… Oh, Albus…"_ She pressed a hand over her heart while Dumbledore merely reached over and patted her on the back.

" _I know… I know…"_ Albus Dumbledore got points for making a rather believable grieving countenance, as well as for the heavy way he stated that.

" _That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potters' son, Harry. But—he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke—and that's why he's gone."_ Her voice trembled as she spoke, tears wetting her cheeks. Dumbledore nodded, his face a perfect picture of glumness. _"It's—it's_ _ **true**_ _? After all he's done…all the people he's killed…he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding…of all the things to stop him…but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"_

This read oddly to Kyrios. From what it sounded like Harry Potter was a young magical child. His parents, James and Lily, were more than likely magical as well with how familiar McGonagall seemed with them. Voldemort, according to these two magicals in front of him, was rather powerful, so it made little sense that a young child would be able to do anything to him. There was more missing from the story, which he figured involved the parents having something to do with this Voldemort's demise.

" _We can only guess."_ Well, that confirmed as much for Kyrios. _"We may never know."_ Another lie. Dumbledore did seem to know what it was, but he was unwilling to share the information.

McGonagall produced a handkerchief which she used to wipe her eyes and cheeks, shifting her spectacles out of the way to do so. Meanwhile, Dumbledore pulled a golden watch from within his robes and observed it for a few moments. Once he was finished he put it away and looked towards the sky. _"Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"_

" _Yes,"_ McGonagall sniffed, wiping a bit more at her eyes. _"And I don't supposed you're going to tell me_ _ **why**_ _you're here, of all places?"_

" _I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."_ In the safety of the darkness Dumbledore gave a peculiar smile, one that had Kyrios' back up.

" _You don't mean—you_ _ **can't**_ _mean the people who live_ _ **here**_ _?"_ McGonagall straightened up immediately, having nearly the same reaction that he was, while pointing at Number Four. _"Dumbledore—you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son—I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!"_

It had been a rather abhorrent display, and like McGonagall, he wouldn't dare leave a child here for these non magicals to deal with, especially if the child were magical like this Harry Potter seemed to be.

" _It's the best place for him."_ Dumbledore's tone was firm and one that brooked no arguments. This man was apparently used to getting his way, all of the time. _"His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."_

A letter? He wasn't going to knock on their door and explain to them why they would be receiving a child in the dead of night? It was a cold and callous maneuver on Albus Dumbledore's part. Kyrios had heard enough that he truly wanted to intervene.

" _A letter?"_ McGonagall echoed his thoughts perfectly, her voice faint as she sat down on the wall. _"Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous—a legend-I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in the future—there will be books written about Harry—every child in our world will know his name!"_

" _Exactly. It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"_ Dumbledore's voice was calm, his tone coming off as a little condescending while he explained something that should have been obvious to McGonagall.

For her credit, McGonagall opened her mouth to argue then closed it and swallowed down her anger. _"Yes—yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?"_

" _Hagrid's bringing him."_ Dumbledore stated that like it should have also been obvious.

" _You think it—_ _ **wise**_ _—to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"_ From how she said it, this Hagrid person didn't sound very trustworthy to be bringing what sounded to be like a very young child, an infant almost, to Privet Drive.

" _I would trust Hagrid with my life."_ That sealed it for Kyrios. Hagrid was not someone he would trust, not with someone who was this crafty and cunning vouching for him.

" _I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place."_ McGonagall's voice was a tad bit grudging as she spoke of this Hagrid person. _"But you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to—what was that?"_

Kyrios and McGonagall seemed to hear it first. A low rumbling sound that filled the air. As it grew closer Dumbledore finally seemed to notice it and the two magical humans looked up and down the street while the vampire looked up at the sky. He watched as the oddest thing, a huge flying motorcycle with an even larger passenger astride it, descended from the sky. The rumbling grew to a loud roar as the magical humans finally looked up. The motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them, the man driving it much larger than even himself in his humanoid form.

Hagrid, if that was who he was, was twice as tall as Kyrios was, and close to five times as wide. He had a wild look about him, his hair a long, bushy black mess of tangles, and a beard that hid most of his face. His hands were bigger than the lids of a metal trash can and his feet in what only could be custom made leather boots were the size of dolphin calves. In his vast arms he held a tiny bundle of blankets which Dumbledore eyed.

" _Hagrid."_ Dumbledore looked and sounded rather relieved, though it was likely due to the bundle that the giant of a man held. _"At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"_

" _Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, Sir."_ Hagrid moved slowly and carefully to get off of the bike, taking care to not jostle the bundle, Harry Potter, that he held. _"Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir."_

" _No problems, were there?"_ Kyrios stared at the old man's back at that question. A flying motorcycle, borrowed from some Sirius Black, and a young boy whose parents were now dead? How were those not problems?

" _No sir—house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."_ Hagrid held the bundle out for Dumbledore and McGonagall to peer at. Inside of the blankets, and definitely fast asleep, was a little baby boy with a tuft of jet black hair. Underneath that tuft was a rather painful looking scar in the shape of a lightning bolt that was still oozing a bit of blood.

" _Is that where-?"_ McGonagall's whisper was something he barely caught, though he had already concluded that the scar was where Voldemort's magic had struck the young Harry Potter.

" _Yes. He'll have that scar forever."_ Dumbledore's eyes gleamed as he inspected the scar, or Kyrios imagined that they were gleaming.

" _Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"_ It was such an innocent question, and it seemed well within Dumbledore's supposed great powers to do.

" _Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well—give him here, Hagrid—we'd better get this over with."_ It wasn't that he couldn't get rid of the scar. Dumbledore plainly admitted to as much that he wouldn't get rid of it. What a cruel thing to do to a young child. The scar looked like it hurt, and it was still bleeding.

Dumbledore took the bundled up Harry and began to carry him over to the stoop of Number Four. He actually paused mid-step just before Hagrid called after him with, _"Could I—could I say good-bye to him, sir?"_ The old man gave a congenial smile and turned to let the giant man give Harry a kiss on the forehead. Immediately after that Hagrid began to howl, reminding Kyrios of a dog that had been wounded.

" _Shhh!"_ McGonagall shushed Hagrid with a hiss, glancing round at the darkened houses and especially at Number Four. _"You'll wake the Muggles!"_

 _Nevermind the sleeping child. Let's not wake the non-magicals to let them discover your sordid affair._ Kyrios thought bitterly, watching as the giant stammered out a reply only to be led away by McGonagall. Dumbledore resumed his walk towards the stoop, garnering the vampire's attention as he set the child down and tucked the _letter_ into the boy's blankets. Once he rejoined McGonagall and Hagrid the three of them just stood there, staring at Harry in silence.

" _Well, that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."_ McGonagall seemed rather put out by Dumbledore's statements, but the magical woman was still staring at Harry on the stoop, her lower lip trembling.

" _Yeah. I'd best get this bike away. G'night, Professor McGonagall—Professor Dumbledore, sir."_ Hagrid wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his jacket then climbed back on to the bike. He kicked the engine into life and with a roar that should have woken the sleeping child, as well as the sleeping non-magicals in the area, it rose into the air and Hagrid flew off into the night.

" _I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall."_ Dumbledore gave another congenial smile and nodded at the upset woman who merely blew her nose in response. Eyes twinkling, he turned and walked back down the street where, when he reached the corner, he took the silver device back out from his robes. He clicked it once and all the street lamps lit back up, casting an orange glow over Privet Drive. He glanced back down the street to see the now cat-formed McGonagall turn a corner at the other end of the street. His gaze slid to the bundle of blankets, now barely visible but still on the stoop of Number Four. _"Good luck, Harry,"_ was murmured just before the man turned and with a swish of his equally purple cloak he winked out of existence.

Dropping down from the tree as he shifted back to his human form, which was truly only half of Hagrid's size, he landed in a crouch. He stood at about six foot one, had an evenly tanned tone to his skin and his dark hair was long, down to the middle of his shoulder blades and cut so that only there was a swath of it down the center of his head. McGonagall's presence had fully disappeared at this point, so he carefully got up and approached the low brick wall that separated Number Four and Number Six's yards. He stepped over it and quickly went over to the stoop where little Harry Potter still slept.

His hazel gaze swept over the babe's features, lingering on the still bleeding scar for a few seconds. It was disturbing. That Albus Dumbledore would practically abandon this child on his relatives' doorstep with little more than a blanket and a letter to explain his appearance was far more abhorrent than what he had witnessed of the family over the day. The scar would definitely need to be tended to, and while, as a vampire, he did drink blood, it wasn't such a necessity for him and the smell of it now wasn't even doing anything to him.

Kneeling down, he carefully eased the child into his well-muscled arms, his build easily matching that of a Greek statue. Harry didn't so much as make a sound as he held the boy to his chest, a long-forgotten feeling welling up in him. He remembered his own sons that he had held back when he had been human, and just as protective of them as he had been then did he feel the same for this Harry Potter.

He wouldn't dare leave this boy with the non-magicals that McGonagall had been so against him going to, regardless of them being his last living relations. They were more likely to harm the boy, and Kyrios was not one to let a child suffer at the hands of others. "I'll protect you, Harry Potter, with my life and all of the power at my disposal." Surprisingly there was a bright flash that enveloped them, which had him squeezing his eyes shut temporarily. A warmth seemed to suffuse in him, one that radiated love and acceptance. The love was directed toward the boy, that much he was able to tell, and he seemed to tingle a bit as the warmth faded. Opening his eyes, he gazed down at the child in wonder, starting to think that maybe he was a bit wrong about what had happened with Voldemort.

Thunder sounded overhead, followed by a brief flash of lightning, and the rain began to fall. Cursing under his breath, he took off the simple dark brown jacket he had been wearing and wrapped the still sleeping Harry in it, giving him an extra layer of protection. Once that was taken care of he made his way out of the yard with Harry. Little Whinging was thankfully just to the south of London, and he could travel at a fast enough pace that would see them in London and at a hotel in at least twenty minutes.

Whether it was a stroke of luck or pure coincidence that he had chosen to rest in a tree overlooking the front yard of Number Four of Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey was something that mattered little to him, though it would later be the subject of a vicious debate. What did matter was that the child had been left on the doorstep of Number Four with little more than a baby blanket and a letter on a night that promised rain. That mattered a lot, and it was unforgivable.


	2. Demons, Documents and Domiciles, Oh My

**Author's Note:** I really hate non-story text adding to the word count of a story, but this is super important. I don't know how it happened, but now Sebastian Michaelis has entered into the fray. If you don't know _who_ that is, I suggest you go read Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji) right away.

 **Disclaimer:** __Again, Kyrios is all mine. Mine, mine, mine. Sebastian Michaelis, however, is property of Ms. Yana Toboso.

What should have been a mere twenty minute travel into the southern part of London turned out to be nearly double that, if not more, and it ended up with him in Central London. He had hailed a cab within a few minutes of leaving Surrey, because staying out in the rain, while fine for just him, was not good for little Harry Potter. Thankfully the child was completely dry when he checked on him in the backseat of the cab and sleeping soundly.

"The closest hotel, please," Kyrios requested just as the cabby started driving. There were a good deal of hotels all throughout London, but he needed to get indoors as soon as possible so that he could tend to the bleeding scar on Harry's forehead. It was only when they past the first couple of hotels that he saw did he start to get irritated. "Stop the car," he said in a low, dangerous tone, his eyes flashing with warning.

"I have me orders, sir, so sit tight and enjoy the ride," was all the cabby relayed, his voice a bit rough.

Kyrios grit his teeth and glared daggers into the back of the man's head, who was saved due to the child's presence. "Then step on it," the vampire grit out, holding back a snarl.

The minutes ticked on, leaving the ancient Greek no less pissed off that he was being spirited away without a choice in the matter. Sure, he could have gotten out of the car at a stoplight, but they had hit very few, which in hindsight seemed odd. Finally, the cab stopped in front of a grand looking mansion, though the plaques up on each side of the entry doors indicated that the mansion was The Milestone Hotel.

"This here's your stop, sir. No charge to you." The cabby gave him a toothy grin, and once he was out of the vehicle it pulled off and drove away into the night.

There was a nicely-uniformed man standing outside of the entry door who came down with the umbrella that was held out over Kyrios. "Welcome to The Milestone Hotel, sir. Please come inside from the rain."

"Thanks," the vampire intoned and made his way inside the hotel lobby. It was a grand place with polished marble tile floors, a nice medium wood trim and a matching polished wooden front desk. Kyrios approached the desk, looking no worse for wear when he had left Number Four of Privet Drive, where the manager glanced at what appeared to be a photograph in his hand and then up at the vampire.

"Mr. Stavros, we have been waiting for you. Your requested room is ready, sir," the manager, whose name tag had Henry engraved upon the brass plating, gave him a smile that looked rather strange.

Kyrios arched a brow in response to the man's statement, recalling having made no request on his own for a room, especially here in what was known as South Kensington in Central London. Also, how this man knew the surname he was currently using was beyond him. "My room?"

"Yes, sir. You will be residing in the Signature Suite. Your butler, Mr. Michaelis, will show you to your room and, once you and your son have settled, the rest of the hotel's facilities." If even possible that arched brow shot up higher. A Signature Suite was costly, and very large. It was more space than he needed. As for this Mr. Michaelis, the name was undeniably familiar. It was the same last name as—

"Right this way, sir." An all too familiar velvety voice addressed him from his left, and he turned to face the pale-skinned, raven-haired and red-eyed demon that was bowing before him. There was a slight smirk on the bastard's face, one that he would have loved to have wiped off for setting all of this up. As Sebastian Michaelis straightened up, the demon's eyes glowed fuchsia for a split second while his smirk deepened slightly.

"Good evening, Michaelis," Kyrios stated with a smile that felt forced, his teeth once again grit together. He followed the butler to the lift, his hazel gaze taking in the hotel uniform the demon had no doubt lifted from one of the employees, or even the laundry room itself. It was as pristine as everything else the demon chose to wore, and it even had its own pair of white hand gloves that the demon seemed fond of. "What is the meaning of this?" he hissed out when they were enclosed in the lift and it was on its way up to the suite that took over an entire floor.

"My lord was in need of suitable accommodations to raise his new ward. The hotel was not my idea, unfortunately." Sebastian gave his usual smarmy smile, the one that always made the ancient Greek want to give him a right hook to the face.

"What do you mean, not your idea? And just how much will this cost me?" Kyrios' voice raised at this point and the bundle of child in his arms squirmed a bit, quickly drawing his attention off of the demon and to the boy. "Shh… I'm sorry, little one," he soothed in a much softer tone.

"I cannot reveal the nature of who contacted me, my lord, and this jaunt costs you nothing. You now own the hotel." Sebastian looked at Harry with a bit of interest, blinking slightly before a grin replaced the smirk. "So this is who all the fuss is about."

The lift stopped and the doors opened before Kyrios could say anything to Sebastian, though the vampire saw fit to glare at the demon's back. He didn't want to believe that he now owned the hotel they were going to be staying in, but Sebastian had never lied to him. "I'm beginning to wonder if I ever should have drawn up a contract with you in the first place. At least it's not like your usual contracts, demon."

"Oh, now don't say that, my lord. You make things interesting for me, and the sustenance I get far exceeds that of the souls I used to eat." Even the ones he carefully molded to suit his tastes. The last soul he had eaten belonged to a bratty Earl nearly seventy years in the ground. "You are the best master I've ever had. Not even that Phantomhive brat could compare to you."

'I would hope not," Kyrios muttered. He had been born and grown up in a completely different time, compared to even then. It had been far more savage, barbaric and downright brutal.

"Welcome to your suite, my lord," Sebastian stated with a bow as he opened up the door leading into the Royal Kensington Suite.

Upon entry into the suite he first noticed just how big it was. Two floors! Two whole floors! The next thing he noticed was an array of shopping bags on the couch and settee, all from Harrods. Last was the occupant of one of the plush armchairs. It was a stout little creature with large, pointed ears, a rather big nose, a menacing smile and a pair of beady little eyes.

"Come have a seat, Mr. Stavros, and everything will be explained to you," the creature, a goblin by the name of Ragnok, bade for him to sit down. He had a very pleased expression on his face as he eyed the vampire and the child he held.

 _In the Morning_

At nine sharp, one Albus Dumbledore strode in the lobby of Gringotts Wizarding Bank like he had owned it. He was dressed in purple robes that had silver stars stitched into them, matching purple high-heeled boots with pointed toes and a deep purple cloak. It was unusual to see the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry looking so pleased and superior. Then again, in light of recent rumors that were quickly spreading like wildfire across a bone-dry forest in the middle of summer, Albus Dumbledore had every reason to look as he did, for lack of better taste in clothes.

Regardless of the fact that the self-styled Lord known as Voldemort, a name which every witch and wizard seemed to fear, with the exception of Dumbledore, was now dead, said happy Headmaster only boded ill for Gringotts. Ragnok, the King of the Goblin Nation and General Manager for the British Branch of Gringotts, himself came out to greet the aging wizard. Greet is a term that the Goblins only used loosely. Very much so.

"How may I help you today, Headmaster?" Ragnok nearly spat the question out, his gaze furious as he leveled it on the self-proclaimed Leader of Light.

"If we could adjourn to your offices, there is much we need to discuss and see to," Dumbledore stated with a distinct lack of formality in regards to the King of the Goblin Nation. His tone was rather condescending, on top of that, and his blue eyes twinkled in the way that Ragnok hated whenever he dealt with the Headmaster.

"Right this way, Headmaster," Ragnok grit out, and swiftly turned to lead Albus Dumbledore to his public offices. The man had never set foot in his private offices, and he'd be damned if he let the man do so now. Those offices were reserved for very special clientele only, of which the Headmaster was not.

Once they reached Ragnok's public offices the Headmaster had the gall to conjure up a squashy purple armchair and sit in it, his hands quickly steepled on his lap. "I am sealing the Potter Will," he began immediately.

Seal the- Seal the Potter Will?! "On whose authority?" Ragnok quickly sneered out, a dangerous gleam to his eyes.

"Mine, as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. Minister Bagnold has given me permission to do so." Dumbledore smiled to himself, his blue gaze now steely as he dared the Goblin to deny his demand.

Ragnok inwardly fumed and had no choice but to acquiesce for now. "It shall be done, Headmaster." Just because it was sealed for now, it didn't mean that the Potter Heir wouldn't be unable to seal it himself once he eventually arrived at Gringotts. That was less than ten years away.

"Also, as Harry Potter's guardian, I will need his Vault Keys." This particular request was what stopped Ragnok cold, and he could only stare at Dumbledore with unbridled rage.

"I cannot honor such a request, Headmaster. The Potters explicitly stated that his vault keys are to remain with the General Manager of Gringotts British Branch until he comes to us at age eleven." He said after a long moment. Ragnok leveled a nasty smile at the Headmaster, only for it to dissipate at the thunderous look that formed on the old wizard's face.

"I am his guardian in the Magical and Muggle world, and I will be taking his vault keys with me when I leave this bank." Albus actually stood up from his armchair, and drew a rather peculiar looking wand that he directed at the Goblin.

Every fiber of Ragnok's being screamed at him to cower and hide at the sight of this strange wand, which emanated a power that was more fearsome than Dumbledore's own. The power carried the whispers of an assured death, especially if he did not comply with the wizard's demands.

"So be it," Ragnok whispered harshly, and unlocked a drawer at the bottom right side of his desk. He gently extracted the Potter Vault Keys and grudgingly handed them over to Dumbledore.

The wand quickly vanished back into the depths of the man's robes and he left Ragnok's public office with a spring in his step. The King of the Goblin Nation could only watch as he started for the tellers before the door swung shut.

 _In the Evening_

He was on an oh so important mission. It wasn't so much a mission that had been given to him, but one that he had taken upon himself. He was all too much aware of his master's whims, one of which had been to stopover in Southern England for a rest. Instead of resting, however, his master witnessed a rather peculiar thing. It was a cat.

Oh how he loved cats. Their soft, luscious fur. Those bright and intelligent eyes. The velvety pads of their feet. It had taken everything within him to not give away his position to his master nor to the cat who was actually a magical person. He could only fathom what was going on, and lo and behold when he had been beckoned by a rather curious little creature with a very sharp spear that had pretty much appeared from nowhere, did he follow.

"You are the demon known as Sebastian Michaelis?" Ragnok questioned once the demon was seated in a hard-backed chair in front of the desk in his private offices. His countenance was dark, in light of his earlier dealings with Albus Dumbledore, his sharp teeth bared threateningly.

Sebastian grinned in return, his red eyes glowing fuchsia for a long moment as he took in the Goblin. "I am he."

"You are well known from the time you served as a butler to one Earl Ciel Phantomhive, Guard Dog of Her Majesty the Queen of England." Ragnok sneered a little disdainfully, pushing a deep red file across the desktop towards Sebastian.

The demon merely glanced at it then back to the Goblin. "He was my former master, yes. I am now serving my current master, whom I was watching over at Privet Drive."

Ragnok looked a little interested at this, for there had been no other save for the Professor McGonagall that had been noted to be in the vicinity at the time. Well, disregarding the Muggles. "Really now? Your master is at Privet Drive?"

Sebastian cocked his head to one side and blinked languidly. "Yes, he is."

"At this very moment?" Ragnok pushed, knowing full well who resided at Privet Drive and what their relation was to a certain young savior of the British Wizarding World.

"He is." Sebastian stared at the Goblin, his expression blank.

"Who is your master, exactly?" Ragnok looked eager now, a spark of hope forming in him. Just maybe… This could be a way to foil Dumbledore and his plans.

"The Lord of the Night," Sebastian intoned, and just as he expected the Goblin paled beyond measure, his mouth dropping open in shock.

"L-lord of the Night?!" There had been legends of this man, this enigma, but Ragnok had never expected… Could scarcely believe…

"Yes. Kyrios is the Lord of the Night. First human to become a vampire." Sebastian's tone was a bit gleeful as the Goblin seemed to absorb this information and sputter a little more.

"Vampire, you say?" This couldn't work out. British wizards and witches looked down on non-humans.

"Of the day-walking variety," Sebastian added for good measure.

"That is-"

"Unheard of? I assure you, my master can walk in the sunlight, eat and drink as you or any other person can and has more than enough power and wealth at his disposal." This seemed to give the Goblin a little more hope back in his expression.

"Yes, yes. We can make that work. His non-human status doesn't need to be revealed," Ragnok murmured conspiratorially. A thought came to him and he gave Sebastian a sharp glance. "How much wealth does your master have?"

Sebastian looked a bit thoughtful at the question and quickly added up the fortune his master had acquired over his long lifetime. "Let's see, he's had nearly four thousand years, more or less, to acquire his fortune. Majority of his wealth is in multiple human banks across the world, acquiring interest, so you do the math."

This was almost too much for Ragnok to process. Almost. With that much wealth, why, the supposed Lord of the Night easily outmatched all of the wizarding families put together. He would be the wealthiest client that Gringotts bank would ever have, to date, and possibly for the longest time. They only needed to fudge a bit on their documentation, and with how stupid the Ministry of Magic for Great Britain seemed to be, they could pull it off.

"Your master is at the home of the relatives to one Harry Potter, the survivor of a terrible attack that left the Dark Lord known as Voldemort either dead or unable to do much of anything now. Unfortunately, due to the enchantments placed on the Potter's Last Will and Testament, I am unable to discuss anything relating to it, aside from letting it be known that it is not up for discussion." Ragnok made a nasty expression with this statement before a decidedly calculating look replaced it. "Yes… This will work. It has to work."

"You do realize that whatever you are intending to do hinges on my master's willingness to take in an abandoned child," Sebastian estimated, and quickly realized that he had struck gold. "He has been a father, twice over, and would not suffer a child to be abandoned to an abusive household." Of this the demon was quite sure. "That family is unsuited to raise any child, let alone their own." He had seen the awful display that morning, of the obese child kicking his mother while screaming for sweets.

"You are positive that he would take the child in as his own?" Ragnok examined the demon carefully, as if looking for him to lie.

"He would indeed."

The Goblin snapped his fingers and several others rushed into Ragnok's private office with parchments, quills and inkwells. There was a flurry of activity, in which the monarch barked out orders and they were followed, to the letter. Sebastian watched all of this with an amused smile, providing input as needed.

Within record speed Ragnok had a form for the adoption of one Harry James Potter, official looking documents denoting one Kyrios Stavros as the head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Stavros from Greece—in which several copies were sent to their Greece Branch and discreetly filed to appropriate departments—and a document requesting the transfer of all Kyrios' funds to Gringotts, which was promptly copied and handed off to several trustworthy and capable witches and wizards—employed by Gringotts, of course—to immediately take care of. Lastly, and most importantly, Ragnok gave the go ahead for a purchase to be made of a suitable home for their newest client. "What would be a suitable place for Lord Stavros to stay at?"

"The Milestone Hotel," Sebastian said immediately, remembering the old mansion-turned-hotel with quite a fondness.

"It is decided, Lord Stavros and Scion Potter will make their home at The Milestone Hotel." Ragnok filled out the very last form and sent it off for the bank to purchase in lieu of the new Lord Stavros. _Consider it a gift for giving me a chance to throw Albus Dumbledore off his game,_ the Goblin thought viciously, a victorious smile on his face. "Now, if you wouldn't mind doing me a favor, demon Michaelis."

 _At Midnight_

Albus Dumbledore had experienced quite a wonderful day. Everything was going according to his will and plans, and nothing could stop him. Once he had dropped the Potter child off at his Aunt's home he had made his rounds to the celebrations and feasts that were taking place. After he had tired of that he had called for Fawkes to come take him back to Hogwarts. The phoenix wasn't answering his summons, however, so he ended up having to apparate to the gates of the school.

 _He must be off having a celebration of his own,_ Albus thought with a slight shrug. He didn't mind it so much, as nothing could dampen his mood. Entering through the gates, he began to stroll up to the castle, admiring the view of Hogwarts backlit by moonlight. Thankfully it wasn't going to rain up here in Scotland.

The stroll was relatively short, rather he was letting his thoughts wander and so wasn't paying any mind to how long the walk was, and he quickly found himself within the castle proper and on his way up to his office. Reaching the stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to his personal quarters and office, he failed to notice that it looked somewhat newer. Cleaner even.

"Ice mice." Albus gave the password and smiled as the stone figure moved aside, revealing the spiral staircase that led up into his quarters. He ascended the steps and immediately glanced over at Fawkes' empty perch. The phoenix definitely must have been out celebrating. Albus gave a small chuckle and stopped to admire his shelf containing numerous monitoring devices, most of which were keyed to Harry Potter. All appeared to be in working order, so he made his way over to his desk.

He sat down in his favorite squashy purple armchair behind the desk and sighed as he took in the various stacks of folders and parchments that required his signature. They detailed with the school's budget, the daily running of the school, the curriculum and various other things. Now was a better time than ever, especially since he was in such a good mood, to take care of them. They were a little overdue, what with the war and all, and the ministry would start clamoring for them to be filed soon.

Picking up the first stack of parchments, and plucking his self-inking quill made from one of Fawkes' feather from its holder, he began to meticulously sign his name to each parchment. He didn't bother to read over them, there was no need to, so as each parchment magically filed itself he failed to notice a particularly special one within that exact stack that would eventually bring about his ruin.

 _At Midnight: The Royal Kensington Suite_

Kyrios stared at the Goblin known as Ragnok, quite dumbfounded with everything that had been meticulously explained to him, mouth slightly agape. The Goblin eyed his teeth, which were as blunt as any human's, his expression curious.

"Do you understand what it is you have taken upon yourself by swearing to protect Scion Potter with your life and power?" Ragnok questioned, his countenance quickly turning serious.

"That my life is forfeit should I fail to protect him." Kyrios knew perfectly well that such vows were not made lightly, and everything that the Goblin had told him only made him that much more protective.

"Thankfully you will have help in that regard." Ragnok produced a very thick folder and quill. He also motioned towards a doorway and another Goblin wearing white robes came in. "Please let our Healer tend to Scion Potter while you sign these."

Kyrios let his gaze go to the Healer who kept a respectable distance from him, his scrutinizing gaze making the Goblin cower a bit. "Please check his scar," he stated after a long moment. "It is still bleeding."

"Of course, Lord Stavros." The Healer carefully took Harry from the vampire and carried him over the settee, which had been cleared off by Sebastian—along with the couch—once Ragnok had bade the vampire to sit.

Both Kyrios and Ragnok watched the Healer briefly before the vampire turned his attention to the offered folder of documents. He took it and the quill, and began to read through the parchments before signing his name to any of them.

After ten minutes of nothing but the scratching of a quill on parchment a cry came from the direction of the Healer and Harry. The documents were immediately dropped as both vampire and Goblin monarch left their seats to hurry over to the settee.

Ragnok pulled the Healer side just as a vaporous black cloud oozed from the scar on Harry's forehead. Kyrios, meanwhile, picked up Harry and cradled him to his chest while the cloud screamed before vanishing. Big fat tears were coming from Harry's stunningly green eyes, his cries having quickly quieted with the leaving of whatever had been in the scar.

"What was that?" Kyrios turned to the two Goblins, his expression deadly.

"T-that was—" The Healer began to stammer out a response but was unable to do so, his fear becoming increasingly evident.

"That, Lord Stavros, was a product of one of the _darkest_ of magics known to wizarding kind. That was a Horcrux," Ragnok ground out, eyes still on the spot where the black cloud had been.

"A _what_?" Kyrios looked baffled by the term.

"A Horcrux is a fragment of a person's soul, which has to be split by committing murder, and is then placed into a container so that the person cannot die. It essentially makes the person immortal," Ragnok explained in a whisper. This was bad news, because if Voldemort had made Horcruxes then he was most definitely not dead. Vanquished, but not dead.

"So Voldemort, whom I'm assuming that soul fragment belonged to, is not dead?" Kyrios tentatively questioned, his gaze now focused on a sniffling Harry and the miraculously healed and almost completely gone scar on his forehead.

"That is if he made more than one, and I would assume that he did so." Ragnok sighed and dismissed the Healer.

Just as the Goblin Healer left a parchment appeared in a flash over the coffee table between the couch and the chair that Ragnok had previously been seated in. The Goblin monarch quickly went back over to the coffee table and snatched the parchment out of the air. He read over it and a partial smile formed on his face. "Good, good. This is good news," Ragnok murmured. He turned to Kyrios and held it out.

The Greek vampire sat back down on the couch, Harry on his lap and staring around the room, and took the parchment with his free hand. Appearing at his side, with the folder of documents back in order, was Sebastian, who exchanged the folder for the young boy. Kyrios murmured his thanks and read over the newest parchment, a brow rising as what he was reading sunk in. "I'm his official guardian now?"

"Once you sign that parchment, yes." Ragnok had resumed staring at the spot over the settee, his expression carefully calculating.

"And signed it will be," Kyrios responded, filling out the form and watching as it magically doubled and both copies vanished. He picked the folder back up and quickly scanned over it to see if he had missed anything, signing wherever his name was needed.

"There is one more thing to be taken care of," Ragnok mused, rubbing at his chin. "You would say that Scion Potter defeated Voldemort, yes?"

Kyrios paused and looked up at the Goblin monarch, his quill hovering over the last line he needed to sign. "From what I am to understand, yes, Harry defeated Voldemort." He glanced back down at the final parchment, signed his name and closed the folder. Both the quill and folder were returned to Ragnok, who took them with a grin.

"Thank you very much, Lord Stavros. Scion Potter, by right of conquest—and when he is age eleven—will be able to claim any titles and fortunes that the being known as Voldemort has, just so you are aware." This was said with a vicious grin, the Goblin tucking the folder under his arm protectively. "We will have a trusted contact within the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Law Enforcement get in touch with you soon. Preferably when you and Scion Potter are settled."

"And who will this contact be, if you don't mind my asking?" Kyrios stood up and glanced around the lounge, wondering where Sebastian had gotten to with Harry. A sweet trilling filled the suite, along with the happy laughter of a child.

"Madam Amelia Bones, new head of the DMLE. I hope you will call Great Britain your origin of domicile for a long, long time, Lord Stavros," Ragnok informed before taking his leave, a truly happy and scary smile on his face.


	3. Amelia Bones and Sirius Black

Once Ragnok had left in whatever mysterious way it was that had gotten him here, Kyrios left the lounge—one of two—and went upstairs to the bedroom area to see what Sebastian and little Harry had gotten up to. The sweet trilling of some sort of bird had paused and there had come another fit of laughter from the child, piquing the vampire's curiosity. The sight that met him was absolutely unexpected.

There was a large scarlet and gold plumed bird sitting atop Sebastian Michaelis' head, and it was picking up locks of the demon's hair with its beak and tugging on them. No doubt the demon was making an irritated face, but this also had the effect of making Harry laugh and clap his little hands together. The child was sitting up in the center of a crib—which had been set up by the demon himself—and it looked as though he had been groomed and put into a fresh set of clothes.

Harry stopped in his applause and laughter over the bird's antics, his stunning emerald green eyes going to Kyrios. The child seemed to observe him for a long moment then gave a happy babble and held out his arms.

"You would think that he would be wary of strangers," Kyrios murmured as he approached the crib and lifted the toddler out of it. There hadn't been much of a chance for Harry to observe him once he had woken up due to the Healer removing that vile fragment of soul that had latched on to the boy. He had been more preoccupied with the room, and well, it seemed like Harry was a good judge of character.

"He is very observant, and bright. Curious for one his age." Sebastian was attempting to remove the exotic looking bird from its chosen perch on his head, but it was to no avail.

"What species of bird is that, Michaelis?" Kyrios asked, eying the bird as he carried Harry over to the bed that he himself would be sleeping in, eventually, and sat down on its edge.

"This would be a phoenix, my lord. He came with me from Albus Dumbledore's quarters in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." This comment received an arched brow from the vampire, a clear sign that Sebastian needed to elaborate on why he had gone to Hogwarts. "I was asked by the Goblin Ragnok to deliver something to Dumbledore…"

 _Earlier: Late Evening_

His mission had been made clear. He was to infiltrate Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to plant the papers that would make Albus Dumbledore give up his self-granted guardianship over one Harry James Potter. The Goblin King Ragnok had laid things out very clearly for him, the information network the Goblins had simply astounding. Sebastian wasn't sure how things were set up, but the Goblins truly had magic of their own and they used it to their fullest advantage under the current laws the British Wizarding Ministry had.

Getting to the castle had been relatively easy, the gates silently swinging open to admit him to the grounds, which was rather curious. Did someone know he was here? It was impossible.

Taking in the sight of the rather grand, but sad castle, Sebastian tsked. It could do with a good cleaning over and the wards were mid-strength at best. _A school full of children and this is the best protection they have to offer?_ He could sense all the delectable souls harbored within Hogwarts' walls, but he dare not touch them. His master offered much better sustenance for him with his energies and powers.

Feeling like he was being led somewhere rather specific, Sebastian found the corridors deserted of most lifeforms, save for a rather foul non-magical man who was limping around with a kitten tucked into the pocket of his tatty jacket. The demon longed to have a look at the kitten, much like he had with the magical person in the form of a cat back at Privet Drive, but he resisted and soon found himself before a gargoyle statue.

"Open," Sebastian commanded, somehow knowing that the access to the quarters he needed to get into were behind the gargoyle. When it refused to move he let his eyes flash red before they began to glow pink. His form was shrouded in darkness while he impatiently tapped a stiletto-heeled boot on the ground. "I will have no problems crumbling you into pebbles before reassembling you as you were," he growled out, breaking off a stone ear and turning it into dust.

The gargoyle finally shook and moved aside, to which Sebastian patted the stone entity and restored its ear, his powers making the entire thing as good as new and even cleaning it up a bit. "Good gargoyle," Sebastian said in a sickeningly sweet tone before finally making his way up the spiral staircase that had appeared.

As soon as he entered the Headmaster's quarters he was assaulted by a scarlet and gold thing that gave a shrill cry. He batted it away only for it to catch itself in the air and fly over to a storage shelf full of curious looking silver items. Sebastian blinked and first examined the thing, a magnificent bird—a phoenix of all creatures—before he let his gaze go to the shelves upon shelves of funny little devices.

All of them held a bit of magic in them, the essence of several different magical beings scattered throughout them. There was one that stuck out though, one that the Goblins had made him familiar with. "Oh, what have we here?" The Headmaster had certainly been up to no good.

Sebastian carefully and painstakingly recreated each of the items tied to the Potter child, and fabricated the essence that was to go into each of the items. Once he was finished he pocketed all of the originals and let his attention go back to the phoenix. It regarded him with one of its bright amber eyes before it took off from the top of the storage shelf and winged further into the office where it alighted upon a cloak rack of some sort.

The phoenix bent down and pecked at nothing, or what was supposed to be nothing. There was a ripple of something and Sebastian walked over to examine the newest thing the bird was choosing to show to him. He reached out and grasped something that felt rather fluid, the material shimmering and silvery as he pulled it from the cloak rack. "An invisibility cloak?" How curious. The demon pocketed this as well then turned his attention to the desk now.

"I daresay, the Headmaster certainly has a bit of work to catch up on." He eyed the stacks and stacks of parchments and files dubiously before carefully choosing a stack to slip the form he had in among the papers. "That's everything I came here for," Sebastian commented and turned to leave.

The phoenix gave out a sudden cry, drawing the demon's attention in time for the bird to land on top of his head and in a swirl of harmless flames they were gone, vanished out of Albus Dumbledore's quarters.

 _Present Time_

"And that was how the phoenix came to be here, my lord," Sebastian finished, his expression neutral as the bird once again pulled on a lock of his hair.

"Fascinating, and you still have this cloak you mentioned, and the devices that were attuned to Harry?" Kyrios' mind was whirling. The devices were most likely to monitor Harry, while the cloak… He didn't know what the connection there was.

"Apparently the cloak belonged to James Potter, and as such it was put back into the Potter's main vault until the young master can claim his inheritance. The Goblins keep excellent records. As for the devices, it was suggested that we present them to Madam Bones so that we may have a more concrete case to build against the Headmaster." Sebastian motioned to a box that Kyrios hadn't immediately noticed, located on top of the dresser. It was a lockbox, which the demon held the key to, and within it were the monitoring devices.

Kyrios would need to speak to Amelia Bones as soon as possible, but he also wanted to speak to Professor McGonagall. It wouldn't hurt to speak to the other Professors at Hogwarts, if only to get a read on them to see where they stood, and it would help him understand what he would be needing to prepare Harry for. "When it is an appropriate time, please contact Madam Bones and request a meeting at her earliest convenience. I would also like to meet with a Professor McGonagall and her colleagues, save for the Headmaster," he clarified, having no desire to see Dumbledore while the urge to attack the man was still so strong within him. "I am also in need of the school's curriculum, so if that is available, then get a copy of it for me." There was something he was forgetting. The giant man, Hagrid, had mentioned someone else. "Also, find out who Sirius Black is and his connection to this entire mess."

Sebastian bowed, which finally caused the phoenix to fly off of his head, and murmured, "As you wish, my lord." With his orders given the demon turned and left the bedroom, but not before giving the phoenix a victorious smirk.

Said phoenix ignored the demon, instead choosing to turn its attention to the vampire and the child. Fawkes was an incredibly smart bird, and he had known that Dumbledore had been slipping. When the demon had come to the Headmaster's quarters with that document, he had known that it was time for him to leave, but not without taking Dumbledore's toys and the cloak that had belonged to Harry's father. Trilling out a few sweet notes, the phoenix landed on the bed beside the ancient vampire.

"I am going to assume you are highly intelligent and will not insult you by asking redundant questions. Your choice in leaving your…master has been made abundantly clear." Kyrios observed the phoenix, not knowing what to call it, or if it even had a gender. "Do you have a gender?" The question was answered by the bob of its head, to which the vampire gave an amused look. "Then, knowing that male birds usually have the more colorful of plumages, though this might not pertain to magical creatures such as yourself, would I be correct in assuming you are male?"

Fawkes gave another bob of his head and trilled a few more notes. He closed his eyes and rubbed his head against the vampire's arm. A warmth passed through both phoenix and vampire, with the bird passing along some of his magic to Kyrios.

"It's a pity you can't talk," Kyrios murmured, marveling at what just happened. First there had been the thing when he had sworn to protect Harry, and now it seemed like the phoenix was bonding to him, or something. "You need a name, and I rather not use the one your former master gave to you. How about Ewan?"

The phoenix gave a pause and seemed to be rather thoughtful before finally giving another bob of his head. Fawkes, now Ewan, sang a few happy notes then took off from the bed. He flew over to the railing and perched there, drawing a happy babble from Harry who was contentedly sitting on Kyrios' lap.

"Well, little Harry. I don't see you going back to sleep for a while, so why don't we go down and see if you'd like something to eat?" Kyrios took Harry into his arms and brought him downstairs into the main lounge. He found the mini-bar area, and a counter where some fresh fruit was set out, put under a sort of stasis by the demonic entity contracted to him. There were also some jars of baby food that the demon had picked up, neatly stacked up along the backside of the counter. Kyrios picked up the bowl of fresh fruit instead, carrying both it and Harry over to the sofa.

Instead of sitting on the sofa, he moved it aside with a knee and sat down on the floor between it and the coffee table, Harry once again on his lap. The bowl was placed on the floor in front of them and the vampire picked up a piece of melon, honey dew, which he held for the child to take.

Harry stared at the piece of fruit for a few seconds then grabbed it with a chubby hand. He shoved half of it into his mouth and began eating the melon. Juice dribbled down his chin, which the vampire wiped away with his thumb. Once the melon was finished Harry reached for the bowl of fruit himself and picked up a chunk of strawberry.

Kyrios sat back and watched with a smile as the toddler began to demolish the bowl of fruit. He was faintly aware of soft footfalls, signifying Sebastian's quick return. "That was quick," he mused, gaze flicking to the demon as he entered through the main door to the room.

"I see you've started to make a mess of things, and I was only gone for ten minutes," Sebastian chided. He traded the sheaf of papers in his hands for some napkins, leaving them in Kyrios' plain sight so the vampire would know to look at them when he had the time. "Would you like anything for yourself, my lord?" he asked as he handed over the napkins.

"A blend would do just fine, Michaelis. I'll look at everything you've brought for me when Harry goes back to sleep." And then he would finally get some rest for himself. Keeping a watchful eye on the toddler, he accepted the glass of dark red liquid that Sebastian brought to him a few minutes later. "Thank you, Michaelis. You may go and do as you wish for now."

Sebastian paused briefly at this, for he had never been given such a direct order to do as he wished. Before, with Kyrios, it was all unspoken. "May I acquire a cat, my lord?" This drew an odd look from the vampire as he sipped at his glass of blood mixed with the juice from several tangerines.

"A cat, Michaelis?" Kyrios looked thoughtful, his gaze on the child that was halfway through the bowl of fruits and making a right mess. "You may get one, Michaelis, no more than that. If you are going to keep it here, you might as well get one of the magical breeds, should there be any, and make sure it is seen by a veterinarian."

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian gave a smile and bowed, his crimson eyes glinting. He had never been allowed to have a feline before, though circumstances after his former master's demise hadn't allowed for him to have one either. Constantly moving about, that wasn't ideal for having a cat much less any other type of animal. "Thank you." He gave the vampire and child a glance over, Harry still quite messy and eating, before taking his leave to go and peruse the felines that would be available for purchase once the shop had opened.

"Of course he would want a cat," Kyrios said sotto voce, swirling the dark red liquid, blood, around in the glass before he took a sip of it. A thought suddenly occurred to him, of Sebastian's intimate knowledge in souls, which had him wanting to hit his head. "I should have asked him about that soul fragment and the Horcrux thing that Ragnok had mentioned," he mused aloud. If anyone would know of Horcruxes then it would be Sebastian. Well, he could always ask the demon once he returned with the cat he had apparently always wanted. Giving a sigh, he refocused his attention on Harry right as he overturned the fruit bowl.

 _In the Early Morning_

The shops of Diagon Alley were finally open as witches and wizards alike trickled into the streets. Some looked a bit hungover, as though they'd forgotten how to perform their magical remedies or they just didn't care. Celebrations had still been going on, and most certainly here in the Alley, in which he studiously avoided. He'd sat there throughout the night in front of the Magical Menagerie, eying the crates that lined the walls through the windows of the shop.

"Good mornin' to ya," the shopkeeper greeted, giving the demon a once over before he bustled over to the door and unlocked it.

Sebastian was on his feet in a flash and on the shopkeeper's heels as he entered the pet store, eagerly zeroing in on the wall of crates that held the various types of felines. Mostly sleepy pairs of eyes stared out at him while he meticulously observed each cat.

"Are ya lookin' to buy a cat, a cat-Kneazle mix or a pure Kneazle?" The shopkeeper asked tentatively. They had very few Kneazles for sale, given their XXX classification by the Ministry of Magic due to their aggression towards specific types of individuals. His gaze went to the caged Kneazles, most of which were warily watching Sebastian. One in particular though, his newest acquired Kneazle, was ignoring the demon.

"All of them look so lovely," Sebastian cooed, walking past the various cages until he came across the newest Kneazle. His interest piqued when the creature didn't budge, his eyes blinking slowly as he took in the small form. "What is this one here?"

"O-oh. That one's a pure Kneazle. Has a nasty temper, that one," the shopkeeper nervously tittered, hoping to turn his customer's interests elsewhere.

The Kneazle in question was kitten aged and had stunning dark blue-black fur in a shade that reminded him of his former master's hair color. When it turned its head to finally glance at the demon, he saw that it had brilliant sapphire eyes that were quickly narrowed. The little blue-black Kneazle kitten hissed at the sight of the demon, its fur standing on end while it scooted to the back of the cage.

Sebastian blinked again before a smile slowly spread across his face, his eyes glinting. "I'll take this one," he said, quite happily, and reached up to open the cage. This little creature strongly reminded him of his former master, which if he hadn't eaten his soul himself, Sebastian could have sworn that Ciel had reincarnated into the cat-like beast.

With the cage open the blue-black Kneazle shot out of the cage and launched himself at the demon, his claws out. It was quickly caught up by the scruff of its neck, where it yowled and spat while it tried to twist and claw at the demon's hand.

"S-s-sir! I'm afraid I can't sell that Kneazle to you," the shopkeeper stammered out, actually ducking behind the counter now that the thing was loose from its cage. He didn't trust that it would stay in Sebastian's grasp for long.

"Nonsense," Sebastian all but chirped, and carried the angry Kneazle over to the counter. "I will need a bed, some toys and a carrier, if you will." The demon smiled sinisterly as he produced a pouch of wizarding money. "How much do I owe you?"

 _In the Morning: Royal Kensington Suite_

Kyrios awoke to the most unholiest of screams and quickly rolled out of bed. He immediately dropped into a defensive crouch, his hand curled as though it expected a Xiphos to be in it before it flexed and opened a little in a manner reminiscent of the Tiger fighting style. A sleepy Ewan, still perched on the railing overlooking the lounge below them, peered at him momentarily then tucked his head back under his wing. A quick glance in Harry's crib show that the tot hadn't been disturbed by whatever had caused the scream.

"Come now, Bocchan, you are in need of a bath," came Sebastian's voice from the lounge below.

The vampire blinked then straightened up and approached the railing to look down into the lounge. Sebastian was there, kneeling in front of a carrier and attempting to pull a blue-black fuzzy thing from the depths of it. There came a loud yowl this time, which had Kyrios glancing at Harry again to see if the child stirred. The child shifted slightly in his sleep, but thankfully slept on. With a sigh he descended to the lounge to see what the fuss was about with Sebastian's newly acquired pet.

"Ah, sorry for disturbing your slumber, my lord. Bocchan is being a little unreasonable," Sebastian said a little too merrily while he finally got the creature out from its carrier. He held it around its middle, which gave it ample opportunity to sink its teeth into one of his hands. "Such a feisty little thing."

Kyrios gave the demon and his pet an incredulous look, as well as taking note in the choice of name that Sebastian used. He decided not to question it or Sebastian's reasoning for it, and instead fixed the thing with a piercing stare. The Kneazle, when it finally looked his way, stilled and let go of the hand holding it. "I don't care what your issue is with Michaelis, cat, but you will not attack me, the child sleeping upstairs, the phoenix or any guest I may have."

The Kneazle, Bocchan, laid its ears flat against its head while its tail curled up between its legs at the implied threat given to him by the thing that it could sense was dangerous. He mewled weakly in way of acknowledgement and looked away from the vampire.

"Now that we are in an accord… Michaelis, what do you know of the Horcrux thing?" Kyrios moved and sat on the couch, an arm slung across the back of it while he yawned.

Sebastian set his subdued Kneazle on the floor, only for Bocchan to bolt off and hide somewhere that would normally be difficult for a person to get an animal out from under, and turned his attention to the vampire. "Like Ragnok said, a Horcrux is made to keep a person from dying. I imagine that _Voldemort_ is little more than a wraith right now, and rather weak. The magical traces on Harry imply as much. As for the fragment of soul that had lodged into his scar, that was not enough to make a Horcrux out of the child, despite what Ragnok said, otherwise it would have been much more difficult to remove and keep him alive in the end."

Kyrios sat up and twisted to stare at Sebastian at this information, his eyes widening slightly before flashing while his face morphed into one of fury. "That man-" he began, near shouting, before clamping his mouth shut upon the realization that raising his voice would do no good right now. "Dumbledore intended for that… that _thing_ to remain in Harry!" he hissed out, the tips of his canines a tad bit sharper despite his attempt to reign in his anger. "Was he planning for him to sacrifice himself?" he questioned in a low, deadly tone.

Sebastian kept his face rather neutral, though he delighted in his master's anger. It was rare to see such a display, as the vampire usually had such iron clad control. With Harry Potter now in his care, this control was likely to slip whenever Kyrios came to the boy's defense. "Had you not intervened, my lord, then it is most likely what would have been destined for little Harry when he grew up."

Kyrios silently fumed for a moment, wisely keeping his mouth shut otherwise he would have yelled and woken the sleeping child up. Once he was sufficiently calmed he exhaled noisily and sunk down into plush cushions of the couch. "Is there anything else you could tell me, like how many of those things _Voldemort_ made?" he spat out, his hazel eyes darker than they had been in centuries.

"The soul fragment was rather small, and quite deteriorated. If I were to make an educated guess, I would say at least more than three. I wouldn't put it past more than five, however, otherwise that fragment would have been far smaller." It was such a waste, doing that to a soul. It would never again be fit for consumption, at least not to his standards. He wouldn't even think of eating a soul from a person like Voldemort anyways.

"So as few as three or as many as five. Lovely," Kyrios muttered and let his head fall back on the couch. They would need to be hunted down and destroyed, if they wanted to be rid of Voldemort. There was no doubt that the dark wizard would come after Harry in the future. Whatever had supposedly driven him to go after little Harry the other night was likely still in effect. "Damn magic," he said sotto voce, staring up at the ceiling and letting his gaze follow the patterns there.

"That matter aside, my lord, I've taken care to visit Madam Bones and set up an appointment to meet with her later this afternoon. The Hogwarts Professors will see you this coming Saturday, and I feel that I must warn you that a Professor Severus Snape seemed a bit reluctant." Sebastian withdrew a folder from the inside of his jacket and rounded the couch to hand it to Kyrios. "This is the curriculum, with all changes that have been made to it since the start of the school under what is called the Founders. As for one Mr. Sirius Black, he is the named Godfather to young master Potter."

Kyrios lifted his head up and took the folder from Sebastian while he blinked at the news that Harry had a Godfather. This must have been one of those things that Ragnok hadn't been able to reveal due to the enchantments placed on the Potters' Will. "Why wasn't he given Harry?" It was a question more to himself than to Sebastian.

"Dumbledore most likely blocked it," Sebastian answered succinctly.

"Go and locate this Sirius Black. Bring him here if you can." Kyrios was trying to fit Black into place in all of this. He had been there at the Potter home to try and claim Harry, no doubt, otherwise Hagrid would have never showed up on his motorcycle at Privet Drive. Harry should have been given to Black then, but Dumbledore had interfered.

Sebastian's face notably fell at this command, but he bowed nonetheless and murmured a, "Yes, my lord." He turned and left to go in search of Sirius Black. His Bocchan would have to wait, unfortunately, but at least he had already set up everything necessary for the Kneazle to eat, drink or use the litterbox as needed.

 _In the Afternoon_

Brushing up on long dead parenting skills, especially when things were so drastically different now, was a chore in and of itself. Madam Bones was due to arrive any moment now and Harry was crying rather uncontrollably. He couldn't figure out for the life of him what was wrong. He'd been fed not too long ago, he'd been given a bath, a fresh diaper—which had been an interesting endeavor for him to learn—and he didn't want to play. Poring through the parenting books was of little help.

Kyrios barely heard the soft knock on the entry door of the suite, and with a muttered prayer that it be Sebastian—though the demon had no need of knocking—he walked over and opened the door. Instead of the tall, raven-haired demon a rather tired looking, dark-haired woman with a child of her own on her hip stood at the door. "Madam Bones?"

"Lord Stavros, I presume?" She gave a tired and somewhat teary smile in way of greeting as she hefted the little girl a little higher up on her hip. "I apologize for bringing my niece along, but there wasn't a sitter available and I'm the only family she has left."

"No, no. No apologies. Please, come in." He moved aside to let the witch enter and switched the arm holding Harry. "He's been crying nonstop for about twenty minutes. I can't figure out what's causing it, but he's been fed, bathed and is wearing a fresh diaper."

Amelia studied Harry and after a moment let her wand drop down into her hand from the wrist holster she kept it secured in. "I believe he is of the age to be teething." With a quick swish of her wand she silently conjured up a teething ring. Another swish had the object properly chilled and hovering over to the vampire and his ward.

"Teething?" Kyrios blinked and absently plucked the chilled teething ring from the air. He held it up for Harry, who quieted his fussing just a little and grabbed for the enchanted item. As the toddler promptly stuck it in his mouth, his fussing died away entirely and he gave a muffled coo as it soothed the ache from having teeth come in. "Thank you, Madam Bones."

"Please, call me Amelia, and it was no trouble Lord Stavros." Amelia gave another smile, this one less teary.

"Then please call me Kyrios, Amelia. Please, have a seat." Kyrios bade the witch over to the couch and armchairs before following her to take a seat of his own. "Might I inquire about your niece's name?"

"Susan. She's been with me for a week now," Amelia settled onto the couch and set little Susan down on the carpeted floor to play with the toys that were already out, where Harry soon joined the little girl. "And that must be Harry Potter. Ragnok has informed me of a good deal about your situation, Kyrios. I must say that I am quite surprised that you would take in an orphan, but that is not as surprising as your…nature." She watched the man for any sort of reaction, her gaze sharp despite her apparent fatigue from caring for her orphaned niece. "Not that I have anything against one such as yourself."

Kyrios kept his expression neutral, though his body did become rather rigid at the knowledge that someone else knew of his being a vampire. "I trust that you will not disclose that to the general populace. I understand any non-human entities have to deal with a lot of hostility here in Great Britain, something that I normally do not tolerate or deal with." He hadn't had to deal with that type of hostility for a long while, at least not from anyone outside of his own kind and the Jesuit Order.

"It is not my intention to anger you, Lord Stavros, and I certainly have no intention of letting anyone who does not need to know of your status and nature know." Amelia transformed rather quickly from tired mother figure to the sharp-witted and objective Department of Magical Law Enforcement head that she was, her posture absolutely perfect. "Regardless of you being a _vampire,_ Kyrios, your adoption of Harry Potter cannot be questioned without anyone going through me. I am here to ensure that it remains so. While the majority of the wizarding populace may never accept you, even without the knowledge of you being a vampire, as Harry's guardian, they will not be able to take him away from you. We are going to make this as airtight as possible."

His growing anger and wariness abated as Amelia's words soothed him. "Not even Dumbledore?" Kyrios watched her expression carefully, noting the way one of her eyebrows shot up while her lips thinned considerably.

"Not even Dumbledore with all of his influence would be able to take Harry away from you." Amelia almost looked offended by the thought that she would let the Headmaster, as brilliant as he had been throughout the years, stick his nose in where it didn't belong. "As far as I am concerned, Albus Dumbledore has no business in deciding who should raise Harry. He has far too much on his plate to be concerning himself with the life of a little boy."

"Yet it seems that he has taken an interest in Harry, going so far as to abandon him on the doorstep of his non-magical relatives, who were absolutely horrid by the way, with naught but a blanket and a letter with a forecast of rain for the night." Kyrios interlocked the fingers of both hands and propped his elbows onto his knees as he leaned forward in his seat, his gaze locked on Amelia's.

"H-he wha-" A loud bang that resonated throughout the suite cut Amelia's response off and both the witch and vampire were quick to rise to their feet. Amelia's wand was in her hand, in a white-knuckled grip, while Kyrios flexed his hands and curled his fingers slightly.

"Where's Harry?!" A panicked voice that Kyrios was unfamiliar with asked as a black-haired man with circles under his eyes and dressed in black robes strode into the room. He looked around frantically, his gaze landing on Amelia first. "Amelia?"

"Sirius?" Amelia's tone was laced with surprise and shock, her grip on her wand relaxing minutely before a look of anger crossed her face. She opened her mouth, likely to ask a rather important question, when a happy babble from Harry, who recognized Sirius' voice, made everyone pause.

"Pa'foo'," the toddler called out, abandoning his teething ring and the toys he had been playing with to start crawling in the direction of Sirius' voice.

Kyrios himself relaxed and walked over to pick Harry up just as Sebastian appeared behind Sirius, the demon looking rather nonplussed. "Why don't you come sit down, Mr. Black?" The vampire waved his free hand toward the couch that Amelia had been seated at, the witch still looking rather angry. "And Sebastian can fix us some tea."

Sirius' gaze flicked to Kyrios, though it fixated on Harry in the man's arms, before he mumbled something incoherent and walked over to the couch. "C-can I hold him, please?" He asked once he was seated, a note of pleading in his voice while his gaze remained on the squirming toddler in the vampire's arms.

"I have nothing against Harry's godfather holding him." Kyrios gave Amelia a somewhat pointed look before he carefully transferred the toddler to Sirius Black's arms. The look of happiness and relief that immediately spread over the man's face told the vampire everything needed to know. Whatever role Sirius had in all this, he truly cared for Harry Potter.

"Thank you, sir," Sirius said as he gently hugged Harry who had immediately grabbed for his hair. Tears filled his eyes as he gazed upon the toddler, his shoulders trembling. "I… I'm so sorry, Prongslet."

Kyrios and Amelia both look a little baffled in the choice of nickname that Sirius had given Harry, the witch unsteadily sitting down while the vampire returned to his armchair. "Sirius, what were you doing there at the Potters' home?" He asked first, before Amelia could fire off the question that seemed to be burning on the tip of her tongue. She had calmed a little at Sirius' interaction and reaction to Harry, but the apology to the toddler had her looking angry once more.

"I knew when I didn't find Peter in his safe house that something was wrong," Sirius began as way of explanation, anger inflecting in his tone at the mention of Peter.

"Who is Peter?" Kyrios interrupted as a look of recognition filtered over Amelia's face, followed by realization, shock, sorrow and anger.

"That filthy traitorous rat was supposed to be our best friend," Sirius nearly spat out, anger twisting his face into something dark. "I thought I had been so clever, to switch with him as Secret Keeper for James and Lily, because I was the obvious choice." His tone hardened and grew bitter while Amelia stifled a sob and pulled out a handkerchief to dab at her eyes. Sirius' gaze snapped to her and a thoughtful expression replaced his anger. "You need to act quickly, Madam Bones. I was tracking him down before I was…brought here. He's an unregistered Animagus. A chubby grey rat."

Amelia looked shocked at this while Kyrios looked more than a little perplexed. Quick as a flash the Head of the DMLE was up and moving around the couch, completely forgetting her niece Susan as she made for the door. "Oh!" she exclaimed as she touched the door handle, turning back once she remembered her niece. "Oh goodness me."

"Madam Bones… Amelia. I would happily watch Susan for you, if you trust me to, while you go and take care of this important matter. Our discussion can wait, and I'm sure Harry would love to have someone to play with for a while." Kyrios glanced towards the little girl, who was still happily playing with the toys, then returned his attention to Amelia.

"Would you?" She hated to impose, and it certainly wasn't a matter of trusting the vampire with her niece. This was truly important and absolutely could not wait.

"I would, now please go." Kyrios watched as the witch left with an uttered thank you, then let his gaze go to Sirius Black. He noted the way the wizard held Harry, as if he were something fragile, and smiled faintly. "Mr. Black, Sirius… My name is Kyrios Stavros. I'm not sure if you're aware, but I've adopted Harry. Regardless of my status as his legal guardian, I have an offer I would like to make to you."

 _In the Evening_

Amelia returned to the Royal Kensington Suite, more tired and worn out than before, but feeling rather accomplished. She had quickly set the Auror Division after Peter Pettigrew, with the news that he was an unregistered Animagus in the form of a rat, and also had the information broadcasted on the Wizarding Wireless. This of course had the Minister for Magic, Millicent Bagnold, asking to meet with her. That had taken some time, and a good deal of energy, to put to sorts.

"Madam Bones," Kyrios greeted softly, almost appearing out of thin air in front of the witch. "They've gone down for the night, I'm afraid. If you want, I can go get Susan for you."

Amelia had a hand over her heart at the vampire's sudden appearance then let out a sigh and shook her head tiredly. "No, no. I'm so sorry for imposing upon you, Kyrios. I'll go fetch her myself."

"It wasn't any trouble at all, Amelia. She's upstairs in the crib with Harry. Sirius is up there as well." Kyrios gave a bemused smile and led the way up to the bedroom that they were using.

She wondered slightly at the smile but followed the vampire upstairs. Instead of Sirius being present, there was a great big black dog stretched out across the floor by the crib. She stopped and stared, the pieces clicking in place while a look of shock formed on her face. "Sirius Black!" she whispered out harshly, causing the dog to raise his head and look her way.

"We have the paperwork for his Animagus form filled out, along with the fine he is to pay for not registering. It was a recent thing, and in light of the war your society just experienced…" Kyrios explained softly—fibbing just a tiny bit—while Sirius, otherwise known as Padfoot in this form, dropped his head back down to the floor and gave large pleading eyes.

"I'll let it go just this once, Auror Black. I expect that paperwork filed tomorrow, and for you to be back to work in three weeks' time." Amelia gave them both an exasperated glare then bustled over to the crib, taking care to not step on Padfoot, so she could collect Susan and be on her way. Once the sleeping girl was carefully taken from the crib, she turned to face Kyrios, an apologetic frown on her face. "I'm sorry we weren't able to finish. I'll take care of everything, so don't worry. Once the documents are ready for you to sign I'll bring them by."

"I'll be looking forward to that then, Madam Bones, and please feel free to bring Susan by whenever you like." Kyrios gave the witch a smile and led her back downstairs where her diaper bag for Susan was packed and waiting. "Harry enjoyed her company."

Amelia looked a little taken aback at the offer of bringing her niece over here, her surprise more than apparent, for the vampire gave a soft laugh. "Thank you for your generous offer, Lord Stavros. I'll be sure to take you up on that offer."

"And if you know of anyone else whom I should introduce myself to that has children Harry's age… I would appreciate it." Kyrios gave a genuine smile and walked Amelia out of the Suite and accompanied her down to the lobby.

"Absolutely. I'll send out some letters. I wouldn't expect very many responses any time soon, but I will make the effort." Amelia gave Kyrios a smile of her own, now back to her tired mother figure, before she left the Milestone Hotel with her niece.

Kyrios waited in the lobby until he couldn't sense her anymore before heading back upstairs. Back in the Suite he called for Ewan, the phoenix appearing in a swirl of flames on his shoulder. "I have a request, Ewan. If you could take this letter to a Remus Lupin for me, I would very much appreciate it." He pulled a letter out from his jeans pocket, with Sirius Black's messy scrawl spanning the envelope, and held it out for the phoenix to take. Ewan took it without hesitation and disappeared in the same swirl of flames, off to find one Remus Lupin.


	4. Remus Lupin

_In the Evening: November 2_ _nd_

Fawkes had appeared so suddenly that Remus Lupin had been badly startled, to the point that he had crushed the thick mug of hot chocolate he'd been drinking. He pulled the slivers of thick ceramic from his skin and dropped them into the trash, his thoughts pulled between the mess he had inadvertently made to why Fawkes was there. Remus quickly washed his hands off, ignoring the sting of his new, slowly healing wounds, then turned his attention to the phoenix. The mess of hot chocolate and shards of ceramic could wait while he saw to what he assumed Dumbledore had wanted. "Hello there, Fawkes."

The phoenix stared at him with unblinking amber eyes and tilted his gorgeously plumed head to one side. After a moment he held out an envelope for Remus to take. It was thin, and the werewolf took it, blinking almost incredulously at the familiar messy scrawl on the outside. Emotions surged through him, anger first and foremost, and he was nearly tempted to throw it into the fire in his hearth without even glancing at it.

Fawkes had brought it to him, though, so Dumbledore must have had his reasons. Giving a weary sigh he carefully sliced the envelope open and pulled a single piece of parchment from within it. He hesitated for only a second before he unfolded the parchment and let his gaze slide over the words there. He nearly dropped the parchment on the first sentence, his grip tightening slightly enough to crinkle the pages.

 _Remus,_

 _It was Peter. He betrayed them. James and Lily are now dead because of him. They're dead, Moony, but Harry is safe. He's with me and… I can't explain this over a letter, Moony. Would you please come? Ewan can bring you to us._

 _Padfoot_

He crumpled the short letter once he had finished reading it, his thoughts swirling frantically. James and Lily were dead. Peter had betrayed them. James and Lily were **dead**. It was **Peter's** fault. Harry was still alive. Peter had **betrayed** them all. James and Lily **were** dead. Harry was safe. Ewan could take him… Ewan?

Remus went completely still, from his thoughts to the unconscious pacing, and looked at the phoenix. He smelled exactly as he remembered Fawkes to smell. He even looked the same. "Fawkes, is your name Ewan now?"

The phoenix trilled merrily and quickly alighted upon Remus' shoulder. Nudging the werewolf on the cheek, Ewan trilled some more.

What on earth was going on? "Take me to Sirius and Harry, please." Without even waiting a beat, he was swirled away in Ewan's flashy flames, the puddle of hot chocolate and ceramic shards forgotten.

They appeared in the lounge of an incredibly spacious and luxurious room, right in front of a man that had the hairs all over his body standing on in. The wolf in him snarled at the unknown threat, and he quickly pulled his wand out.

The stranger didn't flinch, only stared at him with cold hazel eyes. "You had best put your wand away." His tone was clipped, and Remus could read the obvious threat of pain in this stranger's posture. "I have allowed you here in my home, wolf."

Remus stiffened at how this stranger addressed him, his throat going dry while fear started to edge in. He was vaguely aware of a rush of feet coming down some stairs, and then he was barreled into by a large, black dog. He dropped his wand out of shock, while he hit the floor pretty hard himself as one Sirius Black assaulted his face with a dog's tongue.

"Sirius! Stop! Stop, I give!" He tried his best to push Padfoot off, but it was to no avail.

The stranger had the gall to chuckle at them and moved to pick up Remus' dropped wand. It was placed up on an end table, within Remus' sight, and then the stranger moved closer to them. "Sirius, let him up."

Sirius surprisingly followed the order and once he had gotten off of Remus he had returned to his human form. "Sorry 'bout that, Moony, but it was the only way to get your wand off of you."

Remus sat up, wiping the dog slobber from his face, and gave Sirius a nonplussed look. "I was going to put it down, Sirius."

"That is debatable, since you seemed to have been reacting to my presence. Your inner wolf saw me as a threat." The stranger's expression seemed to warm up some, or he at least didn't seem as threatening as before. "You can sense what I am, and your reaction was perfectly natural."

What he was? Remus blinked and stared up at the stranger, who looked perfectly normal to him. Looks were deceiving, however, and his scent stated that he was most certainly not human. "You're… A vampire?" He glanced over to Sirius, who didn't look surprised at this information at all. Just what was going on?

"A vampire, yes. Just not the garden variety kind. I'm _special_ , and there are only a handful of _special_ vampires like myself in the world. We don't play well with each other, and I don't really like the lesser types either. They cause problems for me." The stranger held out a hand for Remus to take, as he was still on the floor.

Remus hesitantly took the man's hand, which felt quite warm for a vampire. It was almost like he was still alive. Standing up, he studied the vampire carefully, who seemed quite at ease with having a werewolf around. "So…"

"Oh, pardon me. My name is Kyrios Stavros. I have invited you here on Sirius' behalf, and I am Harry Potter's primary legal guardian." The vampire, Kyrios, said it so casually that Remus had to run the words through his head a second time. Kyrios, a vampire, was Harry's primary guardian? "Padfoot?"

"Yes, Moony?" Sirius cocked his head to one side as Remus addressed him, looking perfectly alright with everything that was going on.

"What in the bloody hell is going on?"

 _At Midnight_

It had taken several hours, many cups of delicious hot chocolate and a magical straight jacket to convey everything that had happened to Remus. The werewolf had been none too pleased to find out that Dumbledore had intended to abandon little Harry Potter on the stoop of Lily's sister, and had gotten up to head for the fireplace. Kyrios hadn't thought anything on it, but apparently Sirius knew better and thus the reason for the magical straight jacket.

"Oh, believe me, Remus. I would love to tear the old man to pieces, but I am going to make him suffer. A lot. His entire world will crumble around him and he won't be able to do a damn thing about it." Kyrios gave a near saccharine smile with his announcement, which seemed to calm Remus considerably. "I am enlisting yours and Sirius' help to bring him to ruin. We also have Amelia Bones and Ragnok, the King of the Goblins, on our side."

"What about the…" Remus blanched, unable to bring up the subject of Voldemort and the Horcruxes.

"Sebastian will be working on that." Kyrios knew that the demon was capable of hunting down the soul shards and whatever container they were likely to be in. It would simply take time, so there was no telling if it would be months or years before Voldemort was truly gone. As long as the Dark Lord didn't regain a body…

"That aside, Kyrios here has been reading up on the curriculum for Hogwarts, and even I was astonished to find that a lot of classes we had taken aren't even up there anymore." Sirius held out the folder for the Hogwarts curriculum, which Remus tooks. "And a rather... Useless class was added just this past year."

Remus frowned and flipped through the folder. His amber gaze scanned the contents and his frown quickly deepened. "This is… You can't prepare children for the real world like this. A lot of this is outdated too. And Latin is gone?"

"Aren't your spells done in Latin?" Kyrios raised a brow, though the question was quite redundant. "I was also wondering why there isn't a magical primary school."

"Well, Purebloods have their children tutored in their primary years," Sirius cut in, knowing all too well what Pureblood life was like.

"And the children from mixed or non-magical families?" Kyrios' expression was one of concern, because surely there were children of mixed parentage, or even ones that came from a non-magical background.

"Most children from mixed families are not so lucky. The ones from mu-non magical families aren't even aware of their magic until they receive their Hogwarts letter." Remus' explanation was succinct enough, at which Kyrios outright scowled.

"That is unacceptable. There should be a magical primary school so that the children, all of them, can begin to understand, if not grasp, their developing magical powers. It would most certainly help to teach them all Latin in their primary years, as well as other useful skills that will help them when they reach Hogwarts." Kyrios slumped in his armchair and stared at the coffee table between the three of them. "What is it? A lack of funding? No one to teach the children? No teaching materials?"

"If I had to caution a guess, it is probably because no one ever really thought about it." Sirius himself started to frown. "Most Purebloods only care about pushing forward their own agenda. Children born to non-magicals are often ignored, even if they have really good ideas. Those of mixed parentage tend to just keep their heads down and try to get the best jobs they can. Truthfully, the Purebloods are the ones who decide everything for Wizarding Britain. Whether through bribes or bullying, they're the ones who have the most say."

"This is so ass backwards..." Kyrios gave a drawn out sigh and rubbed at his temples. "So, if by some miracle we get the approval to build a magical primary school, what would it take to get this thing going?"

"Well, first things first. Where will the school be located?" Remus had somehow procured a pad of paper and a self-inking quill, and had the quill tip hovering over the paper.

"That would depend on where the students will be coming from. It they will be coming from all over Great Britain then a centralized location would be best. North Yorkshire, specifically the Richmondshire district." He knew that Hogwarts was located in Scotland, which made little sense to him. "We would need to get a land grant and building permits, and make the area…"

"We would want the school to be unplottable, as well as make it so that non magicals cannot see or go near it. The school will also need to be warded." Remus started to jot down notes on his pad of paper, a look of faint concentration settling onto his scarred face.

"We will want top of the line wards, Moony." Sirius picked up a fresh mug of hot chocolate and sipped at the dark liquid. "Do you know how many children might be attending the school?"

"I wouldn't know. Is there some sort of device that can track the birth of every magical person?" It was likely how Hogwarts found out about their future students.

"I believe there is. We would need to request permission to access the magical birth archives." Remus grimaced, because that would certainly be hard information to get. "How will the children be getting to school? And will they be staying at the school for the entire school year?"

"I don't think children that young would be able to handle staying away from their homes and parents like that. Would a daily drop off and pick up work?" Kyrios frowned, unsure of what to say in this case.

"We could do daily drop offs and pick-ups for the First Years. Second Years and up would stay through the week and return home each weekend." Remus made notations for how they would handle the comings and goings of the children, his amber gaze flicking up to meet Kyrios' and then Sirius' eyes. "Staff members should be appointed to collecting the children, so no untoward characters get onto the property."

"That much I can agree on," Kyrios muttered, his thoughts drifting to Albus Dumbledore. "Only staff members and the enrolled students should be allowed on campus. Visitors will need to fill out an application and verify who they are by blood before being allowed on the premises with an escort. They cannot go unaccompanied, even if they were to be the Queen of this country."

Sirius blinked, a bit befuddled by the Queen comment, then leaned over to ask Remus, "We have a Queen?"

"Non-magical monarchy. She and a select few, including the non-magical Prime Minister are aware of our existence. It would be through Her Highness that we are to request a land grant." Remus nudged Sirius aside and resumed his note taking.

"That reminds me. I see there is a _Muggle Studies_ course available, and it is optional at Hogwarts, while there are no classes on Magical Culture and Etiquette. Magical and Non-Magical Culture classes will be mandatory starting with our Second Years and all the way up, and should be combined with History. We should also consider teaching basic mathematics to the students. Physical fitness should be mandatory for all years, as well as Latin." Kyrios paused there and flipped through the folder with the Hogwarts curriculum once more. "Teaching Potions to the students at such a young age would likely be rather unadvisable. Instead, we could maybe have a class on recognizing potion ingredients and how to handle the safer ones for years Four and Five. We could also combine that with Herbology for the same years. Care of Magical Creatures should be another mandatory course, but there aren't many safe creatures to teach about. That should probably be a Fourth and Fifth Year class only. We won't be teaching them magic, so Transfiguration, Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts Hogwarts only classes. As for Divination…"

"Divination is a load of rubbish. We never had a Divination class, and from what I can understand is that you need to be born with the Sight." Sirius set down his now empty mug and got up to pace. "From what Lily and James told me, there was supposed to be a prophecy some crackpot made that concerned You-Know-Who and Harry. They never told me what it was, just that there _was_ something."

"There's a prophecy, Padfoot?" This seemed to news to Remus, who set down his quill and notepad to get up and confront Sirius. "Why didn't any of you say something to me?"

"Moony…" A pained look flitted over Sirius' countenance and he quickly looked away from his last living best friend. "I'm sorry, Moony, but we weren't sure…"

"You weren't sure of what?! That you could trust me?! After everything we've been through, after everything all of you did for me! You didn't know if you could trust me?!" Remus' voice began to rise, and it wasn't any surprise to Kyrios that Harry woke up with a cry. This had both friends halting in their tracks while the vampire got up and went upstairs to tend to Harry. A look of defeat came over Remus and he dropped down onto the couch, his head in his hands.

Within a minute Kyrios returned with Harry, bright eyed and still a little fussy. The vampire shot the both of them a cross look then sat down with Harry in the armchair. "Go sort out your issues elsewhere, if you must," Kyrios all but hissed with a flash of fangs.

Harry, on the other hand, had other ideas and as soon as he saw Remus he held his arms out for the werewolf. "Mooey! Mooey!"

Remus startled at the mispronounced moniker that came from Harry's lips and looked up to stare at the child with misty amber eyes. He didn't move, at which Kyrios gave a seemingly suffering sigh and got up once more to bring Harry over.

"He wants his _Mooey_ , obviously," the vampire teased, at which Sirius snickered.

Remus cautiously took Harry into his arms and stared at the child in wonder. He didn't dare move when the fifteen-month-old reached up and patted his cheek, an adorable frown marring his cheek.

"Mooey sad." Harry continued to pat Remus' cheek, which brought a tearful smile to the werewolf's face.

"No, Harry. Mooey is very happy right now." Well, it wasn't a total lie. He was happy that Harry wanted to comfort him, and he couldn't help the tears that slid down his cheeks.

 _In the Morning: November 3_ _rd_

They hadn't gotten anymore done once Harry had woken up, and stayed up for several more hours. The child had clung to Remus, and Sirius, in that time, before acquiescing to go back upstairs with Kyrios when he was starting to get sleepy once more. They called it a night then, Remus taking the second bedroom area while Sirius resumed his Grim form and went to sleep on the floor in front of Harry's crib.

Morning came all too soon for the adults, but Harry was positively excited and bouncing in his crib when Kyrios woke. Careful not to wake the snoozing Sirius, he picked Harry up and carried him downstairs, once diapers and clothes were changed, to find Remus seated on the couch with the notepad from last night and a cup of coffee steaming away on the table.

"I ended up with a rather oddly colored Kneazle kitten in my bed this morning," Remus said without looking up from his notes. There was a slight crease in his forehead and he was mouthing something to himself after a few seconds.

"That would be Bocchan. He is Sebastian's, for all intents and purposes." Kyrios balanced Harry on his hip while he retrieved some baby food and a feeding spoon from the little kitchen area. When he turned around he automatically gave a slight shake of his head as a highchair appeared from nowhere.

"Bocchan?" Remus set down the notepad while a perplexed expression crossed his face as he glanced at Kyrios to see what the vampire was doing.

"It was a nickname to a human that he was contracted to some time ago. Apparently the Kneazle reminded him of that human, so he named it Bocchan." Why he just didn't outwardly name the creature Ciel was beyond him. The Kneazle certainly had Ciel's attitude. "The human was called Ciel." And as if he had been called, the Kneazle kitten appeared, mewing as he twined around Kyrios' feet. "Of course."

Remus frowned as he observed the Kneazle, then got up to help Kyrios with Harry. "Did he just come when you said…"

"Ciel? Yes, I believe he did." Gratefully handing Harry over to Remus, Kyrios bent down and picked up the kitten with a frown. "Not frightened of the big bad vampire anymore, Bocchan? Or do you prefer Ciel?"

The Kneazle stared up at him, then patted a paw against the hand that held him twice.

"I'll be damned," Kyrios muttered, setting the Kneazle down onto the floor. "Oh, this is hilarious." He gave a slight chuckle and twisted open the container of baby food still in his possession. It was promptly passed over to Remus, along with the feeding spoon.

"So, that is Ciel? Why would it be hilarious?" Remus looked a bit perplexed again and began to feed Harry his food.

"Because Sebastian ate his soul when it was time for the little Earl to die." Kyrios shooed the Kneazle kitten away, knowing that he would have to discuss the matter with Sebastian once the demon returned. "Or so he claims."

"I did eat Ciel Phantomhive's soul, and it was quite delicious," Sebastian uttered as he suddenly appeared, a few letters and a newspaper in his hands.

Remus nearly dropped Harry's feeding spoon, at which the child grabbed it from his slackened grip and started to feed himself, albeit messily.

"Michaelis, please do not scare my guests like that," Kyrios chided as he took the proferred letters and paper. "Don't worry, Remus, he doesn't eat souls while under my employ. Instead, he receives my energy in exchange for his services, and my energy is quite limitless." He looked the letters over first, noting the unfamiliar names of Longbottom and Weasley, as well as a letter from Amelia and Ragnok. He set the letters aside for the moment and turned his attention to the newspaper. "Daily Prophet?"

"Oh, that's the magical newspaper for Great Britain," Remus explained as he tried to wrestle the feeding spoon away from Harry. The child started to fuss once it was out of his grasp so the werewolf relented and let Harry continue to feed himself. "They're likely still running articles on Harry."

Kyrios frowned and unfolded the paper, the headline definitely not about Harry. "Four Death Eaters Caught Breaking into the Longbottom Home!" He read the headline aloud, which drew a sharp gasp from Remus. Behind them there was a strangle sort of noise, coming from Sirius who had just woken up and made his way down the stairs.

"Frank and Alice were attacked?!" Sirius rushed over to look at the paper, his hand trembling as he reached for it.

Kyrios scanned the accompanying article and gave a shake of his head. "They had been _Fire-Calling_ Amelia when the break-in occurred. It says they _Flooed_ to Amelia's once they realized what was going on." These were terms that Kyrios was largely unfamiliar with, so he looked to Sirius and Remus for answers.

"Who were the Death Eaters?" Sirius asked hastily, utter relief in his and Remus' expressions.

Kyrios scowled slightly but looked back over the article for the names of the Death Eaters. "Barty Crouch Jr., Rabastan Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange and one Bellatrix Lestrange." He glanced up just in time to catch the spark of anger in Sirius eyes, and the man stormed out of the Suite. "What?"

"Bellatrix is his cousin," Remus explained gently, sender a worried glance after Sirius. "He just needs to cool his head for a bit, then he'll be back. He won't leave Harry."

Kyrios blinked a little then nodded. He understood the situation clearly, so he wasn't going to press the issue. "What is Fire-Calling and this Floo thing?"

"Fire-Calling is actually a variation of Flooing. Flooing is when you take a specially formulated powder and throw it into the flames of a hearth that is connected to the Floo Network. You call out your destination as you do so, then step through the flames. It can be a tricky business though, traveling by Floo. If you mispronounce your destination there is no telling where you'll end up. Fire-Calling is where you only put your head through the flames after you've announced who you want to talk to and where they should be at." Remus finally looked back at Harry and grimaced, the child's face and the front of his clothes covered in baby food.

"Someone certainly needs a bath." Kyrios grinned and moved to help Remus with Harry.


	5. Meet the Longbottoms and Weasleys

_In the Morning: November 3_ _rd_

Sebastian knew it had been a bad idea to let his master and the werewolf attempt to bathe the child, but seeing as his master had every intention of being the one to take care of little Harry's needs then he would acquiesce his usual control over such daily activities. Kyrios was not Ciel, and for that he was rather grateful. Still, the vampire hadn't cared for a child since his own two sons had been children, and he sincerely doubted that the werewolf had ever had the chance to help out with Harry's care, let alone another child's. So he sighed and looked down at the blue-black kneazle kitten with a frown. After a moment of silently studying Bocchan he allowed his attention to drift elsewhere. Like towards the bathroom occupied by his master, the werewolf and the child.

A shriek of laughter bounced off of the walls followed by the distinct sound of splashing. No doubt little Harry was having fun with his bath. He was almost certain a mess was being made. With a heavy sigh he pinched the bridge of his nose and waved a hand towards the high chair, his special brand of magic leaving the structure spotless and nearly gleaming with how clean it was. Then he all but stalked into the bathroom, his face set into an impassive mask as he took in the sight that he had known would be waiting for him.

Kyrios, his wet hair askance and plastered to the smoothly shaved right side of his head, held a happily squealing Harry in place in the shallow water of the bathtub while Remus, who was equally wet, attempted to wash the child splashing water on the both of them. A puddle was gathering where they knelt, soaking in to what little else was dry on their bodies.

"As well placed as your intentions are, my Lord, you are making quite a mess of things." Honestly, this was no better than when his former master had attempted things for himself.

"Is it troubling you, Michaelis?" Kyrios asked, his tone low and containing the barest trace of that edge to it that sent shivers through his chosen form. "Life is messy and imperfect, something I have not forgotten in my years as a No-Life King."

"Of course, my Lord. You are correct." It was that imperfection that made the human soul that much more appetizing, and as much as his missed the taste of souls they were now off limits to him. The vampire had been crafty when he had made his contract with the demon, and had even overpowered the mark that should have remained visible on his throat.

"You are, of course, correct as well, Michaelis, but do not forget your place again." The vampire lifted the now clean child out of the tub, at which the werewolf, who had remained silent during their exchange, gathered Harry up from Kyrios' arms in the large, fluffy towel that had been readied. "If you wouldn't mind taking Harry upstairs and dressing him, Remus."

"Absolutely, Kyrios." Remus looked between the two of them with a faint frown as he stood with the towel-swaddled Harry in his arms. He didn't spare them another glance as he left the bathroom, though the uncertainty in his scent was apparent enough as he shut the door behind him in an effort to give them some privacy.

There was a tangible shift in the atmosphere once they were completely alone, and his disguise rippled slightly as Kyrios finally looked his way. It completely fell away, the butler's outfit giving way to the skintight leather pants, stiletto-heeled boots and the sleeveless form-fitting top of his true form. He was vaguely aware of his own shift, his gaze caught on the mark that was laid bare and glowing on his master's throat.

"Surely you haven't forgotten what your contract seal looks like, Sebastian." Kyrios' tone was teasing now as he moved with a speed that would have given the impression of the vampire teleporting, much too fast for the human eye to comprehend. They stood eye to eye, and he could clearly see his own glowing fuchsia irises reflected in the darkening hazel of his master's eyes. "Cat got your tongue, demon?"

Sebastian shivered at the intonation of the question, his mouth having gone oddly dry as he almost dumbly stared at the powerful creature mere inches from him. He swallowed, the cottony feel remaining, and watched as amusement flitted over Kyrios' face.

"I should have done this sooner," the vampire murmured and curled his fingers under Sebastian's chin, his thumb delicately pressed into the skin beneath his lower lip. He leaned in and claimed the demon's mouth with a gentle kiss.

Sebastian's wings trembled, the dark feathers rustling with the tiny movement, as he yielded to the vampire when the kiss became more insistent. He gasped softly at the sharp nip to his lips and could faintly taste his own blood as Kyrios' tongue swept into his mouth. There was a slight, almost unnoticeable difference in how the vampire tasted. Minuscule as the difference was, it became much more obvious when Kyrios began to give him his energy. It was almost like a taste of what he could only describe as heaven, and if he'd have had any iota of shame he would have been embarrassed by the throaty moan that left him. As it was, he grasped Kyrios' shoulders, ignoring the still wet material of the shirt he wore, and fervently kissed back.

There was a fleeting glimpse of shock in Kyrios' eyes, to which Sebastian tightened the hold he had on the vampire's shoulders and nearly dug his claws into shirt and skin. Thankfully he didn't pull away, instead his hands came to rest on the demon's leather-clad hips and pulled him closer. After a long moment he halted the flow of energy and broke off the kiss, looking a bit dazed and like he wanted nothing more than to keep going. "I'm not sure what brought that on," he started, his fingers tightening minutely on Sebastian's hips before he finally let go of him and took a step back. "-but we have more pressing matters at hand that require our immediate attention."

"I understand, my Lord." Sebastian nearly cringed at how desperate he sounded to his own ears, and an unfamiliar warmth spread through his cheek. It took every ounce of control he had to remain where the vampire had left him, his hands balled at his sides with his claws digging into his palms.

"Sebastian." His name is sighed out and Kyrios used that inhuman speed of his to refill the space he had retreated from, a slight scowl marring his face. He grasped Sebastian by both wrists and forcefully turned his palms upwards, pressing hard enough that the demon had to open his fists. "After what just happened, after what I'm sure very nearly happened, I insist that you use my given name."

"Yes…Kyrios. I…. I must apolo-"

"No. You will do no such thing." Kyrios' tone was sharp and his gaze dark, darker than before. It was not the darkness of anger, but lust, perhaps. "We will discuss this later, Sebastian." There was no room for argument, and with the conversation over the vampire deftly lapped up the blood from Sebastian's palms. "Take the rest of the day off," he ordered in a gentle tone as he let go of Sebastian's wrists. He left him there in the bathroom, water still on the floor.

"Where shall this lead?" He stared down at his palms, for what felt like far longer than necessary, as the skin there tingled at the memory of Kyrios' tongue. "Kyrios." Well, wherever it happened to lead them, he was certain that it would be much more than a simple feeding. With a glance around the bathroom Sebastian frowned. "I simply cannot take the rest of the day off if you leave things like this," he muttered to himself as he returned the bathroom to its original pristine state. With barely a glance in the mirror to make sure his disguise was back in place he spun on his heel and returned to the living area.

 _Harry Potter and the Lord of the Night_

Kyrios absently thumbed through the envelopes as he sat down on the couch, his mind replaying the scene from the bathroom. The demon had never reacted like that before, that much he was certain of. He had always treated the feedings as if they were a chore, so he was clueless as to why Sebastian had suddenly started responding to the feeding in the way he had. Kyrios was more than certain it would have turned sexual if they had continued, and while he would not have minded he didn't know how it would affect Sebastian, let alone himself. He paused on Ragnok's envelope with a frown, his gaze flicking upwards.

"You're getting the upholstery wet." Sebastian was giving him a disapproving scowl, irises flickering between crimson and glowing fuchsia. The rest of his disguise was unaffected, it seemed. The demon waved a hand and appeared to be quite satisfied with the end result as he looked Kyrios over.

"Didn't I give you the rest of the day off, Sebastian?" He'd forgotten that his shirt had been wet since temperature hardly affected him. His hair, however, was a different story and felt a bit lighter now.

"What sort of butler would I be if I took a day off because of an unexpected development." Crimson once again flickered to glowing fuchsia and stayed like that as Sebastian held his gaze, his mouth curved into that sardonic smirk.

"You are one hell of a butler, yes, I realize that." Had he thought the demon capable of it he imagined Sebastian would have pouted at having his line so brazenly stolen. Instead he merely continued to smirk and looked as though he wanted to make a meal out of him. Well, that was new. No doubt a result of whatever the hell had happened in the bathroom. "Your eyes are showing through your disguise, Sebastian."

Sebastian looked taken aback for a brief second then schooled his features and his eyes resumed their crimson guise. "It would seem that whatever has affected you is likewise affecting my control. I will remain here."

"A wise decision," Kyrios murmured and looked back down at the envelopes. He separated Ragnok's from the others and opened it. There was only a single sheet of vellum contained within it and a tiny golden key. On the vellum, in boldly stroked black ink read:

 _Lord Stavros,_

 _This is the key to your new vault at Gringotts. Simply present it to a teller at our Great Britain Branch when you wish to conduct business with us. May your gold flow._

 _Ragnok_

 _General Manager_

 _Gringotts Great Britain Branch_

"It would seem that everything is taken care of," Sebastian commented and plucked the key from his grasp. "I will hold on to this. I did make certain that you were left with a tidy sum in your mundane accounts."

"I don't want to imagine what you consider a tidy sum," Kyrios sniped as he selected Amelia's letter next. This one was made of regular parchment and had to have been written late last night. He imagined the stern witch's handwriting to be slightly more tidy than what was currently before him, if only because of how haggard she had appeared. It read:

 _Lord Stavros,_

 _I am, again, incredibly sorry that we were not able to finish. I've readied the necessary documents, just send word when you would be available to sign them and I will file them with the Ministry ASAP._

 _In an unofficial capacity, I've sent an owl to the Weasley family, explaining your interests in meeting them and setting up play dates for the children. I have not mentioned your son's name to them, thinking it would be best for you to do so. I'll be fire-calling the Longbottom family later, and explain as much as I am able to them as well. They went into hiding around the same time as…. Well, I dare not mention anything further in case this comes into the wrong hands._

 _Susan seemed to have had a wonderful time, so I would love to set up an actual play date for her and your son at a time that is agreeable with everyone._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Amelia Bones_

 _Head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement_

 _Ministry of Magic_

He put the letter down on top of Ragnok's with a faintly puzzled look. He knew what the fire-calling was now, thanks to Remus' explanation, but the part about where she had sent an owl to the Weasley family. Did she really have her mail delivered by an actual owl? Surely a telephone would have been faster. From what he understood, a fire-call would have been faster as well. Maybe not everyone was able to do the fire-call, but an owl?

"Is something the matter, Kyrios? You look troubled " Remus questioned as he came back into the living area with a dry and dressed Harry. The werewolf glanced between him and the silent Sebastian, no doubt probably wondering if what he had seen in the bathroom had anything to do with Kyrios' current mood.

"It's likely trivial. Just a curiosity on my part, really. Do witches and wizards use owls as a means for communication?" Kyrios watched Remus from the corner of his eye and saw the immediate relief and faint confusion that swept over his face.

"Well yes, wizards and witches have their post delivered by owls. There's nothing wrong with that." Remus came and sat down in the chair across from Kyrios, Harry on his lap and happily chewing on what appeared to be the very same teething ring Amelia had conjured.

"Well, I imagine phoenixes such as Ewan are exceedingly rare, and maybe not everyone might be able to do a fire-call. Still, why isn't there a magical version of the telephone?" Kyrios picked up the two remaining envelopes and considered them both for a moment before he chose to open the letter from the Longbottoms. He pulled out the parchment and lifted his gaze back to Remus as he waited for his answer.

"Remember when I said that most Pure-bloods only care about pushing forward their own agenda? This falls under that category. Most Pure-bloods detest anything to do with Mu-Sorry, non-magicals or anything that even remotely resembles it. Pure bloods will even go so far as to cast someone out of their own family for marrying a non-magical." Remus looked down at Harry and smiled fondly as his voice softened and quavered. "James' parents were the exception to that ideology. They didn't care that Lily was born into a non-magical family."

"They even took my sorry ass in when I ran away from my family. They'd have taken you in too, Moony," Sirius added as he finally rejoined them, having caught the tail end of the conversation. "It's a shame they never got to meet Harry." He sat down on the settee, his expression slightly withdrawn. "Old Charlus came down with Dragon Pox and passed away. Dorea passed away a few days later."

"And Lily's parents?" Kyrios looked between the two young wizards and arched a brow when both remained silent. "You mean to tell me that out of sheer coincidence **all** of Harry's grandparents have died? Just how old were they?"

The questions seemed to stun both wizards into silence as they realized just how odd and coincidental it was for all of Harry's grandparents to pass away at nearly the same time. In fact, Lily's parents had passed around the time James' had.

"I never really thought anything of it," Remus whispered harshly as he drew the toddler on his lap to his chest and cradled him.

Harry squirmed slightly in his grasp and wriggled around until he was facing the werewolf. "Mooey sad," he declared as he patted Remus' cheeks, a scowl marring his face.

"Yes, Moony is sad, Harry," Remus confirmed and attempted a smile for Harry's sake. It came out more as a grimace and resulted in Harry pressing at the corners of his mouth in his own attempt to make the werewolf smile.

"Hey, pup. You know what might make Moony feel better?" Sirius got up from the settee and walked over to where Remus and Harry were seated. He scooped the toddler up from his friend's lap and put on a practiced smile in spite of the somber discussion.

Harry squealed in surprise and lashed out with his magic, making the furniture in his immediate vicinity float. Remus tumbled from the chair with a yelp while Kyrios, who looked unperturbed, remained firmly fixed to the couch. Sebastian, who had stationed himself behind the couch, took a few steps back and observed the scene with a mask of indifference.

"It's okay, pup," Sirius stated softly in an attempt to cajole Harry into calming down. He turned the toddler in his arms to face him, letting Harry see who it was that held him. "It's just me, pup, I didn't mean to startle you," the wizard said, speaking to Harry as though he understood what he was saying.

It was more Sirius' peaceful tone that had Harry calming down, and as a result the furniture thumped down now that it wasn't being suspended in the air with magic. The child, meanwhile, stared up at his godfather with a decisive expression. "Pa'foo' bad," he declared with a pout. He squirmed in Sirius' arms and reached out for Remus, his hands opening and closing in a grabbing motion. "Mooey!"

The werewolf rose from where he had landed and regarded Harry with a faintly amused smile. "Now, now, cub," he gently chided and ruffled Harry's hair, making the black tuft stick up. "Lets see what Padfoot has to suggest."

"Well, if it's okay with Kyrios, I was thinking we all go out for some fresh air. Maybe stroll around and explore a bit." Sirius directed his gaze to the vampire, ignoring how Harry still squirmed in his grasp in his attempt to reach for Remus.

"You'll need to change in less noticeable attire, but I've no qualms otherwise," Kyrios said thoughtfully, a faint and amused smile curving his mouth. He raised the final two letters for them to see. "I'll read these over while you two go change into whatever Sebastian can scrounge up for you, and then we will use this outing as an opportunity to get you some appropriate mundane wear if you have none."

"Ah, yes… that would most certainly be wise. I'm familiar with non-magical clothing, so I'll help sort Sirius out," Remus offered as he finally took Harry from the dog animagus' arms.

Sebastian regarded Kyrios for a moment, his crimson eyes faintly narrowed before he smoothed out his expression and turned his attention to the wizards. "This way please," the demon drawled as he led the way to their portion of the suite.

Kyrios watched them depart before finally returning his attention to his mail and selected the letter from the Weasley family. He broke the small wax seal and pulled a rather worn looking piece of parchment from the envelope. The writing on the parchment was faintly hurried but still rather pristine, a distinct feminine touch to the loopy style. It read:

 _Lord Stavros,_

 _Please forgive the state of the parchment this is written on, as it is a bit of all we have. My name is Molly Weasley and it is my understanding that you are looking for playmates for your son. Amelia Bones has informed me that he is a little over a year old, and I have a son that age. I also have a two-month-old girl and five older boys, however, and hope that their number isn't off-putting since I can't leave them at home. My oldest son doesn't start at Hogwarts until next year, and their father Arthur works for the Ministry so he isn't home all too often. Please send me your reply._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Molly Weasley née Prewett_

Kyrios had a faint smile on his face as he finished the letter. There was a fleeting sense of pity for this Molly Weasley for having to mind seven children, one of which was a newborn, but he got the feeling that she was more than happy. It might have been because her writing smoothed out when she mentioned her baby girl, the words written carefully and with clear pride.

Kyrios folded the letter up and tucked it back into its envelope then got up from the couch. He walked over to writing desk where a stack of crisp, new parchment sat. He picked up the green Parker 180 fountain pen that was sitting beside the stack of parchment and uncapped it with a gentle press of his thumb. He ignored the cap as it bounced towards the end of the desk and set the letters down to focus on penning a response to Mrs. Weasley. He wrote:

 _Madam Weasley,_

 _I would gladly have you and all of your children come to pay a visit. Space is not an issue and I've had my fair share of dealing with older children. I don't know how much Madam Bones has relayed to you in regards to the situation with myself and my son, other than she has not given his name, but I will be happy to answer any and all questions you may have when you and your family finally meet him. Such information is best discussed face to face, and I will require some form of discretion on your family's part. I hope that this will not dissuade you from meeting with me and my son._

 _Well wishes and my sincerest regards,_

 _Kyrios Stavros_

Kyrios left the letter laid out so the ink could dry and began to reach for an envelope to address it to Mrs. Weasley when a knock on the suite door interrupted him. He snagged up the cap to the pen and put it back on as he went to answer the door, wondering who it could possibly be. He recognized Amelia holding Susan, standing front and center, but behind her was a couple with a boy of their own he didn't recognize, as well as a plump woman that he immediately assumed to be Molly Weasley as she held her two-month old daughter in one arm and had the hand of her youngest son in her own while the rest of her boys, the eldest three at least, dutifully stood beside her. A pair of boys, twins, were hiding behind her skirts. So that must have meant that the couple with their son were Frank and Alice Longbottom.

"I'm so-"

"No, don't apologize, Amelia," he interrupted with an amused smile and ushered everyone to come in. "Please excuse the disarray of the furniture. We had a bit of a magical accident earlier." Well, not too much earlier. Sebastian would no doubt fix it as soon as they'd left.

"I take it your son had a tantrum," Frank commented with a smile of his own as he and his wife followed Amelia into the suite. "I'm Frank Longbottom and this my wife Alice, and our son Neville."

"Not quite, Lord Longbottom, and I am Kyrios Stavros." He shook hands with Frank and then Alice, then offered his hand to Molly. "Madam Weasley, it is a pleasure to meet you all and your children. Don't worry about anything getting broken. My butler will take care of it."

Molly fumbled a bit with her son's hand then let go of it to shake Kyrios', her cheeks taking on a pink tinge. "Please, just call me Molly," she said a little nervously. She cleared her throat and then began to name her children. "This is my oldest son, William," she motioned to the tallest and gangliest of her red-headed brood, at which the boy mumbled 'Bill' too softly for his mother to hear. "Next is Charlie, my second oldest, then it's Percy, the twins Fred and George, Ronald, and lastly is Ginerva." Bill and Charlie smiled brightly and waved a little as they were introduced while Percy stood ramrod straight and the twins mischievously peered at him from behind their mother. Little Ronald clung to the front of Molly's skirts and looked up at her at the mention of his name while baby Ginerva slept in her mother's hold.

"Well, I'm afraid I don't have much of anything for the children to entertain themselves with. We were actually planning on going out to stroll around London for a bit and get acquainted with our new home after I had finished responding to your letters," Kyrios admitted with a slight grin. "This saves me from finishing those letters and we can all go out together after I acquire a promise of your discretion in regards to my son."

"What does discretion mean?" Charlie asked, his voice brimming with curiosity.

"It means that Lord Stavros wants to tell us something that he doesn't want us to tell to someone else," Molly explained patiently.

"Like a secret?" Bill piped up a little excitedly.

"Exactly like a secret," Sirius exclaimed as he strode into the living room with Harry. Remus came in behind him, and the pair were dressed in passable muggle clothes. Sirius himself wore a pair of dark blue jeans and a pale grey t-shirt, and had pulled his hair back into a low ponytail. Remus had chosen a pair of brown slacks and a cream button down shirt, but still managed to look somewhat disheveled. Perhaps it was the frown he wore.

"Now before anyone starts asking questions, I helped facilitate Lord Stavros' adoption of Harry Potter. It is legitimate, but he has amended the guardianship to include Sirius, since Black is Harry's godfather," Amelia explained immediately as she gave the Longbottoms and Molly a pensive look. "I leave it to Lord Stavros to explain why he chose to become Harry Potter's primary guardian."

Silence hung between them, thick with tension and worry until Frank released his wand from its holster strapped to his right arm and dropped it into his hand. Kyrios watched the wizard with an air of curiosity and caution, but the man simply raised it up in front of him to utter, "I, Frank Longbottom, Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Longbottom do hereby swear on my life and my magic that I shall not reveal any information Lord Kyrios Stavros chooses to divulges to me in regards to his guardianship of Scion Harry Potter by verbal, written or magical means until such a time that Lord Kyrios Stavros grants me release from my oath. So I will it, so mote it be." There was a rush of magic, ancient and thrumming, that swirled around Frank as he made his vow, and it deemed his vow honest and pure.

Alice was next to utter her vow, followed by Molly, and their result was the same. Up above on the railing that overlooked the living room, Ewan began trilling out a beautiful song, one full of joy. The collective group looked up and there was an expression of awe and admiration on the faces of the adults, while the older children stared at the phoenix in amazement. The purity of the moment was broken by Sebastian joining them, at which the colorful bird winged down to perch upon the top of his head.

"Your judge of character is extremely skewed," Sebastian muttered with a touch of acid and tried to dislodge Ewan. The phoenix gave a single quavering note that sounded decidedly amused and responded by clutching at the demon's hair with his talons.

"Is that a phoenix?" Charlie asked excitedly as he and Bill went over to Sebastian to peer up at the magnificent bird.

"Yes. His name is Ewan. He came to me shortly after I decided to adopt Harry, though he seems to favor Sebastian's head." Kyrios smiled at the enthusiasm of the children, noticing that Percy was admiring the phoenix as well though he hadn't left his mother's side. "If Ewan is agreeable to it then you may pet him."

Bill and Charlie both ran back over to their mother and looked up at her pleadingly. "Please, mum, may we pet Ewan?" Charlie asked.

"You heard Lord Stavros. That's if Ewan lets you pet him." Molly couldn't help but smile at her boys' excitement and watched as they bounded away from her again. "No running, boys." Then she glanced down at Percy who was torn between looking up at her with wide, pleading eyes and glances of unfettered longing towards Ewan. "Go ahead, Percy," she said warmly and watched as her son's face lit up in pure joy. She didn't dare reprimand him for also running over to join Bill and Charlie. The twins, curious about what their older siblings were getting up to, wandered over to where all the excitement was centered around, which made Molly absently call after her oldest two. "Look after Fred and George, boys."

Ewan gave a long quavering note and glided down to the floor from Sebastian's head, then click-clacked his way across the floor towards the boys. It was a clear sign that he was okay with the children petting him, which the three older boys gladly took turns doing. They even helped show Fred and George how to pet the phoenix gently, and the bird began trilling out a soothing song.

"We can take the kids and give them a bit of playtime," Remus quietly offered to Amelia, Molly and the Longbottoms. Sirius had knelt down to set Harry on the floor, the Potter Scion moving to join the majority of the Weasley boys in petting Ewan. Sirius lingered close by, so he too could guide Harry's hands and softly urgied him to be gentle.

"I think that's a lovely idea," Alice gushed, having watched her own son look over to where the older boys were in wonder. She set Neville down and gently steered him over to the boy's gathered around Ewan.

"I think I'll join you with the children," Amelia counter-offered to Remus, not only because she wanted to spend a bit more time with Susan, but so it would make the Longbottoms and Molly feel more at ease knowing that there was someone they trusted watching their children as opposed to near strangers. At least in Molly's case. The woman seemed to relax completely at her offer, and she gladly ushered Ron to join his brothers.

"Pet birdie? " Susan asked as she squirmed slightly in Amelia's grasp in an attempt to go join the gaggle of boys.

"Yes, Susan. You can pet the birdie," Amelia reassured with a smile and put her niece down. She followed after Susan over to Ewan and the boys, and her smile widened when Charlie, who'd been helping George with petting Ewan scooted back to male room for her niece. Bill and Percy likewise moved back for Neville and Ron and assisted the toddlers in the same manner. It was, overall, a heartwarming sight to see such generosity and such good upbringing.

"If you'll come have a seat, I'll explain how I came to have guardianship over Harry," Kyrios softly intoned, drawing Molly, Alice and Frank's attention back to him. He gave an internal sigh as he wondered at just how much to reveal to these young parents. He wanted them to trust him, and trust was always built upon a foundation of truth. To hide anything might very well shatter that trust somewhere down the road. "It is a very long story."

 _At Noon_

In the end Kyrios laid himself bare before the witches and wizard, admitting to what he was after first acquiring a promise from them that they would let him talk without interruption. In the same breath of confessing that he was a vampire he also informed them that Sirius, Remus and, most importantly, Amelia already knew. It had done little to ease their sudden anxiety, but what had truly helped was the account of how he had come across Harry being dropped off on the doorstep of his muggle relatives like a bottle of milk and his subsequent actions.

"I would like to see the memories for myself," Frank announced coolly, his gaze sharp and assessing as he studied Kyrios in the silence following his tale. "I'm surprised Madam Bones and Auror Black didn't think to ask to view your memories," he added, gaze flicking to the DMLE Head and Sirius, who were still tending to the toddlers with Remus' help while they and the older children played with a number of toys and games that Sebastian had procured.

"I am amenable to that, and it is within my abilities to let you see everything I saw." Kyrios gave Frank a genial smile and locked eyes with the Lord Longbottom. Within the blink of an eye Frank's expression when from cool assessment to shock and awe.

"How did you do that?" He exclaimed in surprise, which had Alice and Molly looking at him in confusion. His exclamation had been loud enough that it drew the attention of Sirius, Remus and Amelia.

"What's going on?" Amelia asked, concern coloring her voice. She came over after making sure Susan was well occupied and took a seat on the vacant settee. Her gaze went from Kyrios, who sat in the armchair, to the trio of parents sitting on the couch.

"Frank asked to see my memories of when I found Harry, so I let him relive them," Kyrios explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He looked from Amelia, who gave him an entirely perplexed expression, to the parents sitting across from him, Frank still awed while Molly and Alice shared the same expression Amelia had.

"You… You let him relive your memories?" The DMLE head queried, disbelief coloring her voice. "How did you do that? Can you do it again?"

Kyrios frowned slightly and gave a nod. "I can do it as many times as I want. I just need to maintain eye contact and put the memories he asked for in his mind."

"I didn't even feel him do it," Frank stated, sounding rather puzzled. "Legilimency is detectable to those trained in the art of Occlumency, yet I didn't feel a thing."

"Those are mind magics?" Kyrios asked, a little perplexed by the line of the conversation.

"Yes. Legilimency is the art of reading someone else's mind, usually used to detect when someone is lying, and I suppose you could plant memories like you just did with Frank, while Occlumency is the discipline of shielding your thoughts from unsuspecting Legilimency attacks. Not many choose to learn Legilimency, but all members of the Noble Houses learn Occlumency as part of their upbringing," Alice explained, Molly nodding from where she sat beside the Lady Longbottom. "Aurors such as myself, Frank and Sirius have to show that we know Occlumency or learn it and Legilimency during our Auror training."

"There's never been any studies done in Great Britain about how the Mind Arts work on non-human entities. It comes back to Pureblood dogma and how superior the majority of them believe themselves to be over everyone else," Amelia stated softly, her hands folding on her lap. "That aside, we do have a method of extracting memories and viewing them. I should have asked for your memories of that night, but with everything else going on…"

"No, I understand completely. How does this memory extraction work?" Kyrios leaned forward in his seat, elbows resting on his knees as he looked over the group of collective magicals.

"I put the tip of my wand near your temple while you think of that specific memory and store it in a vial." Amelia stood up, flicking her wand into her hand from the holster strapped to her wrist. She conjured up a vial and stopper, spelling the glass to be unbreakable before she approached Kyrios. "Frank, Alice, please stand witness that I am extracting the memory of the night of November the First, 1981 from Lord Kyrios Stavros in regards to the abandonment of one Scion Harry Potter at the doorstep of a Muggle by one Albus Dumbledore."

Both Longbottoms stood, wands drawn as they recited a witnesses oath in both the capacity of Aurors and as Lord and Lady of House Longbottom. Once they finished their recitation, a bright flash erupted from the tips of their wands, coupled with a scroll of parchment each that had their statements transcribed upon them. They both signed their statements and handed them to Amelia after she extracted the memory from Kyrios and placed it in the vial. It was silvery in appearance, and held the form of a cross between liquid and gas yet was neither. Once the stopper was in place on the vial, it was sealed with magic so that only Amelia would be able to open it, ensuring that no one else could access and tamper with the memory.

"Lord Stavros, Kyrios, you always seem to give me more work whenever I come by," Amelia said with a small laugh as she placed the vial and statements in a tiny moleskin pouch that was embossed with the DMLE seal.

"I fear this may be the norm when dealing with me, Amelia," Kyrios said in a light, teasing tone. He looked away from the hound DMLE head as Sebastian appeared, looking unrepentant for his interruption. "Yes, Michaelis?"

"I've prepared lunch, sir." The demonic butler cast a meaningful glance towards the children playing quietly with a number of toys he had produced earlier when Ewan had decided he'd had enough petting and prodding. The older boys had taken up with a set of blocks and were trying to build what looked to be Hogwarts under Remus' gentle instruction.

"Ah, yes. Lunch sounds wonderful. You're all invited to have lunch if you don't have any pressing matters." Kyrios said with a disarming smile as he stood up.

Molly and the Longbottoms were quick to agree while Amelia hesitated, if only for a second. "I suppose Susan and I can stay for lunch."

 _Somewhere in Germany_

He was so very weak, and oh so tired. It was a mystifying and curious sensation for the wraith-like shadow he'd become. Memories of that night played out in a jarring and disorienting order, sending pulses of dizzying, aching panic through him. Was he dead? He was certain he had succeeded, yet why was he so weak?

The boy. That's right. Something had gone wrong. Things were slotting together, letting him slowly make sense of it all. A fiery haired woman begging for the life of the child. The man, urging them to run… no, that was't right. The man came first. A flash of green? No… Green eyes, wet with unshed tears while she begged. He raised his wand... No, he ordered her to stand aside. Why?

Severus…. He had intended to spare her for Severus. The fool woman still insisted that he take her instead. The child. Spare the child but take her. The child was key, though. Half-blood, like him yet not. He was the one the prophecy spoke of. He must kill the child. He must…

He paused, a new and peculiar sensation tingling throughout his wraith-like form. He could feel something, a resonance that echoed across his very soul that grew stronger. What he didn't realize was that the fragment of himself that had unknowingly lodged into Harry Potter was hurtling towards him. He still didn't know what it was, even when it rejoined with him and memories of a lavish sitting room with a Goblin and a man, no… Not a man. Not with that ethereal glow he gave off. Whatever he was…he was dangerous. That was all he could glean from the memories, his strength seeming to wane.


End file.
